China’s Great Firewall of web censorship not a trade barrier, says nation’s internet regulator
Comments by Cyberspace Administration of China come after report by US government cited Beijing’s blocking of websites is a ‘significant burden’ on businesses
China’s online censorship system protects national security and does not discriminate against foreign companies, the country’s internet regulator said after the United States described Beijing’s blocking of websites as trade barrier.
The office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) wrote in an annual report that over the past year China’s web censorship had worsened, presenting a “significant burden” to foreign firms and internet users.
China has long operated the world’s most sophisticated online censorship mechanism, widely known outside the country as the Great Firewall, although the USTR had not listed it as a trade impediment since 2013, when Xi Jinping became China’s president.
Last week Chinese web users were blocked from seeing news reports about the leaked “Panama Papers” documents from a law firm in Panama, which say relatives of political figures, including Xi, own offshore firms.
State media carried brief reports on the revelations, without mentioning the Chinese political figures.