China Defends Its Great Firewall

More than a week after a row between China and Google over censorship practices, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton publicly called on Beijing to lift restrictions on Internet use, to which China responded by denouncing the criticism as “groundless” and a form of “information imperialism.” —JCL

The BBC:

China has denounced US criticism of its internet controls, saying it could harm ties between the two countries.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Thursday for China to lift restrictions on the internet.

Mrs Clinton also urged Beijing to investigate Google’s complaints that cyber attacks had originated in China.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said the US should “respect the facts” and stop making “groundless accusations against China”.

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Flickr / mrfink

An Amnesty International poster advocates for the release of Shi Tao, a Chinese journalist sentenced to 10 years in 2005 for sending an email to a Chinese pro-democracy site. Shi was arrested after Yahoo, under pressure from the Chinese government, released his personal details.