Any foreign companies active in China must obey the rules.

 

January 22, 2010 (Hamsayeh.Net) - China strongly criticized recent remarks by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on broader Internet freedom in other countries including China.

 

The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the United States better ‘stop using so-called Internet freedom to make groundless accusations against China,’ Washington Post reported. Accordingly, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Ma Zhaoxu, said ‘the United States targets China’s policies on controlling the Internet in a way that restricts Internet freedom. China is firmly against such comments that are contrary to the facts and therefore harmful to China-US bilateral relations.’

 

The story began when last week the giant US Internet-based company, Google, said it might pull out of China business altogether. It cited too many restrictions and lack of freedom that are in contrast to the company’s own standards. Beijing however issued a statement saying any foreign companies active in that country must obey the rules or they could leave.

 

Chinese officials also expressed their concerns saying because of widespread depictions of pornography, hacking activities and general representations of base culture over the net a so-called unrestricted freedom of expression in a Western sense of the word, leads to unwanted consequences for its ancient social and historical fabrics. 

 

Last Thursday, Clinton said, ‘freedom on the Internet is similar to other basic freedoms, including freedom of speech, worship and assembly.’ She reiterated her government’s support for US individuals and companies to help people in other countries enjoy access to these types of basic rights. 

 

In China, people reacted harshly to US’ disinformation campaign. The local Chinese newspaper Global Times wrote, ‘for uncensored and free flow of information on an unrestricted Internet is a disguised attempt to impose its values on other cultures in the name of democracy.’

 

Another specialist on the subject Rao Jin, founder of Access China Communication Network, said ‘Why do we have to accept the standard of the United States? The attitude of the U.S. is so arrogant. Clinton mentioned one Internet. Actually, it's the Internet of the United States. It's Google of the States.’