China blocks Internet access to New York Times

The Chinese government has blocked access to The New York Times website for Internet users in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Previously they blocked access to the BBC, Voice of America and others.

When Internet users from Beijing and Shanghai tried to connect to NYtimes.com they received a message telling them the website is not available. Chinese Internet users are familiar with such messages, as the government censors information on the Web. The Chinese government has previously blocked Web access to the BBC, Voice of America, Hong Kong media Ming Pao News and Asiaweek. Users can only access these sites via a virtual private network (VPN). The government has given no specific reason for blocking access to the New York Times website, but the Foreign Ministry recently said it has the right to block websites that host content illegal under Chinese law. In the past, the Chinese government has cracked down on international online coverage of the unrest in Tibet. China briefly stopped blocking access to most websites during the Beijing Olympics 2008, but even that wasn't perfect, as reports surfaced indicating the IOC was allowing Beijing to censor the Web.