Poll: Web users not a force to 'take China down'

More than two-thirds of Chinese Internet users rejected a recent claim by US Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman that Web users here would become a force to "take China down," according to a poll by the Global Times.

Among the 51,000 people polled, 70.9 percent rejected Huntsman's idea, with about 11.1 percent supporting the claim and the rest saying they were "not sure."

As for what constituted the "main force" among Chinese Internet users, about 77.2 percent of participants said it was patriotism, and 73.5 percent reckoned that the Internet has become one of the major factors that will shape the country's future.

The online survey was conducted Friday by the Global Times website, huanqiu.com, and its poll center.

Among the participants, 84.6 percent are between 18 and 49 years old, 47.5 percent received higher education and overwhelmingly 94.8 percent are male.

During a Republican presidential candidate debate on November 12, Huntsman, the former US ambassador to China, said, "We should be reaching out to our allies and constituencies within China. They're called the young people. They're called the Internet generation."

"They are bringing about change, the likes of which is gonna take China down," Huntsman claimed.