[LINK] Beijing's backflip over internet access

[Bernard Robertson-Dunn]

Beijing's backflip over internet access
SMH
Jacquelin Magnay and Mary-Anne Toy
August 2, 2008
http://www.smh.com.au/news/off-the-field/beijings-backflip-on-great-firewall/2008/08/01/1217097542482.html

The Chinese Communist Party has bowed to international condemnation of 
its media censorship and allowed access to websites that it had 
previously blocked in contravention of promises made to the world that 
it would open up the country for the Olympics.

In an extraordinary move, the President, Hu Jintao, met directly with 
foreign journalists yesterday to answer the criticism that has enveloped 
China since it broke a promise to allow free and unfettered access 
during the Beijing Games.

Mr Hu said the Chinese Government had been "working in earnest" to 
honour its commitments and pledged that deeper political reforms would 
come after the Olympics.

Mr Hu said it was against the Olympic spirit to bring politics into the 
Games, and that throwing issues such as censorship in China's face 
served no purpose.

"It's only inevitable that people from different countries and regions 
of the world don't see eye-to-eye on certain issues," he said.

"I don't think politicising the Olympic Games will do any good to 
address these issues.

"It runs counter to the Olympic spirit and also to the shared 
aspirations of the people of the world."

In a stunning development, the Chinese authorities were last night 
working with an International Olympic Committee group to reopen 
websites, including those of national broadcasters such as BBC China and 
Deutsche Welle as well as non-governmental organisations such as 
Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International.

Last night these sites were accessible in Beijing and the IOC press 
commission chairman, Kevan Gosper, said the Chinese were working on 
unblocking more sites.

"The IOC president, Jacques Rogge, met the Chinese to discuss this 
problem. All along the IOC has not shifted from its stated position and 
that was to have no censorship of the internet," said Mr Gosper.

"The Chinese have the right to close down sites that are pornographic or 
subversive, but otherwise everything that should be free, and wasn't, 
now will be.

Mr Gosper said he had been reassured there had been no deal made between 
IOC officials and Chinese party officials.

The backflip came after China was condemned by the US President, George 
Bush, the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and some European and Asian leaders.

The censorship had put Dr Rogge in an embarrassing position on his 
arrival in Beijing, after he had reassured the world's media a fortnight 
ago that there would be open internet access.

Some of the sites the Chinese consider subversive and will continue to 
block are those relating to the outlawed Falun Gong movement, the 
Tibetan government in exile and the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

With 20,000 journalists expected for the Games, the Chinese Government 
faces unprecedented scrutiny of its human rights record, the crackdown 
in Tibet and support for the Sudanese regime.

"As always we will continue to provide facilities for foreign 
journalists coming to China to report," Mr Hu said.

"Of course, we also hope the foreign reporters will abide by Chinese 
laws and regulations, and we also hope you will provide objective 
reports of what you see here."

All questions for Mr Hu had to be submitted in advance. He did not 
respond when a German journalist tried to ask a question about human rights.

-- 
 
Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Canberra Australia
brd at iimetro.com.au