LONDON: The rise of social media in China will lead to liberalisation, and as more and more people go online China's government will be powerless to halt the changes, Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google Inc, said on Monday.
Speaking at a conference in London, Schmidt recalled a meeting with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang this month, just weeks after China passed tough regulations on social media. Under new laws, people face harsh penalties if libellous "online rumours" they create are reposted more than 500 times.
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