The country's top legislative and advisory plenary sessions have never been closer to people their participants represent. It is all because of the Internet.

Even long before the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) meetings opened, quite a number of websites kicked off online programs to collect public opinions. Premier Wen Jiabao's online chat with netizens last week just before the two sessions was typical of the importance the country's top leaders are attaching to online public opinions.

Logging on to almost all Chinese websites, loads of programs are about the current two meetings. Keyboards not only keep one informed of whatever the NPC deputies or CPPCC members are talking about but also make it possible for netizens to interact with them by posting online one's opinion on a specific question or directly by talking with a particular deputy or member if they happen to be online. Even some print media have E-meeting pages to reflect the hot topics netizens are discussing about the sessions.