[Islam-Online- Science, Ideas & Technology]

BEIJING (AFP) - Chinese President Jiang Zemin has warned against the negative impact of the Internet and called for China's web surfers to be protected from distorted facts.

"One thing must be ensured: that facts should not be distorted," Jiang said in an interview with U.S.-based Science magazine seen in Beijing. "Otherwise people will wonder how to tell truth from distortion on the Internet," he said.

Jiang did not specify in the interview how China intends to separate fact from fiction on the Internet, or how it will punish violators. But he said that China was planning new rules that will ensure the healthy development of science. "Advances in science must serve, not harm, humankind," he said.

Unnerved by the free flow of information on the Internet, China's communist government has brought in blanket and draconian legislation aimed at controlling the country's growing army of web surfers. China currently has more than 10 million Internet users, compared with just 2.1 million at the end of 1998. The number could explode over the next few years, as new technology such as wireless devices makes access easier and cheaper.

The authorities have so far blown hot and cold on the issue of the Internet, wanting to embrace the enormous potential commercial advantages while fearing the social impact. Jiang's rare comments on the subject are an indication the leadership is still wary about the web's impact on society.

But despite the dangers posed by the Internet, Jiang told the American magazine that new advances in telecommunications and other areas will have profound and positive impacts on China. "As to the Internet, its development has nowadays afforded us easier access to a whole wealth of information throughout the world," he said.

The particular value of information on the Internet is that it is open to all and shared by all, he said. "I hope all young people, both Chinese and foreign, and all scientists and scholars around the world will make the best use of the Internet and other means of communication," he said.

Even political leaders could benefit from the Internet, according to Jiang. "I am a strong advocate of personal contacts between leaders of different countries," he said. "Of course, we may also exchange information through telephones and the Internet"