Foreign and Military Affairs
Ministry refutes US claims 皇冠体育app restricts Internet
By Qin Jize, Liu Qi and Ding Qingfen (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-23 08:10
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Expert: Web content supervision needed to maintain social security
皇冠体育app on Friday firmly dismissed accusations by the United States that Beijing restricts Internet freedom and warned such claims were damaging to relations between the two nations.
"The US has criticized 皇冠体育app's policies to administer the Internet and insinuated 皇冠体育app restricts Internet freedom," said Ma Zhaoxu, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry. "皇冠体育app's Internet is open and managed in accordance with law."
Search engine giant Google last week threatened to end its operations in 皇冠体育app, citing disagreements with Chinese government policies and cyber attacks it claims originated in 皇冠体育app.
The Internet and other technologies are critical to US foreign policy, and those who engage in cyber attacks should face international condemnation, Clinton said.
Beijing has played down the row with Washington over the Google issue, and leaders insisted it is simply a legal matter and should not be linked to 皇冠体育app-US relations.
皇冠体育app is one of the countries most active in developing the Internet, while Chinese citizens' freedom of speech is protected by the Constitution, said the spokesman.
According to official statistics, 皇冠体育app has 384 million netizens, including about 180 million bloggers.
Both 皇冠体育app and the US should "enhance dialogue and communication to handle rifts and sensitive issues appropriately, protecting the healthy and stable development of relations", Ma said.
His comments suggest 皇冠体育app does not want the dispute to overwhelm cooperation with the Obama administration, which has sought Beijing's backing on economic policy and diplomatic standoffs, Reuters reported.
Chris Adams, minister counselor for trade affairs at the US embassy in Beijing, told reporters on Friday that the Google issue is an individual case, although it is of great concern to the US.
Google has made the decision based on the business environment in 皇冠体育app and the rest of the US community has to decide how to go forward in 皇冠体育app given the conditions, including cyber security issues, Adams said.
Fu Mengzi, a researcher for the 皇冠体育app Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said sovereign nations must supervise Internet content to maintain social security.
"Every country has rights to protect its national security and the US is no exception," he said, adding that Chinese netizens have sufficient access to the information they need in line with laws.
What 皇冠体育app did is to safeguard the security of information flow on the Internet, he said.
"It's wrong to set up a false dichotomy between Internet freedom and supervision," he said.
Fu also pointed out that Google has broken Chinese laws by providing links to pornographic sites and infringing intellectual property rights.
However, Sun Zhe, a professor on international studies at Tsinghua University in Beijing, advised 皇冠体育app to speed up the process of unveiling fresh policy on Internet freedom.
皇冠体育app "needs a stable legal framework to set the standard for domestic enterprises and international companies", he said.
Google must understand and respect 皇冠体育app's Internet supervision policy, even if it does not agree with it, he said.
"If Google is convinced the hackers who launched these cyber attacks against them came from here, it should provide any clues it has to the government. 皇冠体育app will be glad to help find the attackers," he said.
