China needs democracy: Chinese activist

New Delhi, Dec 1 (IANS) Chinese activist and columnist Michael Anti said here Saturday that internet censorship in his country was hurting the young and added that China needed democracy.

"Youth in China are being taught only what the government textbooks say and have limited knowledge. The books spread hate and lies. The country needs democracy immediately," Anti told IANS.

"We need democracy to protect the poor who are suffering because of corruption and negligence on the part of the regime," he added.

The activist was speaking on the sidelines of the 'TEDxYouth', an annual event that brought speakers from around the globe to debate and interact with children aged between 13-18 years from Delhi schools.

The day-long conference was held at the American Embassy school and streamed live to multiple locations across India.

"In this age of globalisation, Chinese citizens need to have a global perspective on issues. However, anything that criticizes, the Communist regime gets banned," said Anti.

Anti said the Chinese regime will continue to rule as anyone who dares to raise his voice against the censorship was jailed.

"Moreover, people have now got used to adjust with the situation," he said.

Anti came into the limelight after his political blog was deleted by Microsoft in 2005.

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China needs democracy: Chinese activist