Editor of nationalist Global Times questions Beijing’s online censorship – then deletes the post
- Hu Xijin says he wants ‘rational’ discussion about Great Firewall and suggests there should be more access to outside internet
“National Day is approaching and it’s extremely difficult to access the web; even our work at the Global Times is affected,” Hu Xijin wrote on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform.
“The overwhelming majority of our people are patriotic and love the Party with strong political conviction,” the post on Hu’s personal account said. “This country is not fragile. I suggest society should have more access to the outside internet, which will benefit the strength and maturity of China’s public opinion, scientific research, and external communications, as well as China’s national interests.”
Mainland China has a history of limiting access to the internet and banning websites and platforms before sensitive or important political events. Such measures are in addition to regular monitoring and censoring of political comments on domestic social media made possible by policies and protocols known as the Great Firewall.
Access to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia was blocked before this year’s 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on June 4, while users were prevented from accessing Instagram after photos of Hong Kong’s “umbrella movement” protests were circulated in 2014.
Internet users can use virtual private networks to access the net outside the firewall, but these are often subject to interference.