China says it has right to block Web sites

December 16, 2008 China's foreign ministry said Tuesday that the country was within its rights to block Web sites with content illegal under Chinese law, including sites that referred to China and Taiwan as two separate countries. Access to the Chinese-language versions of the BBC, Voice of America and Hong Kong media Ming Pao News and Asiaweek has been blocked since early December, according to a report by Asiaweek this week. In response, the country has set up a team of personnel who police the Internet to remove sensitive content and posts, warn bloggers who cross the line and block access to certain sites.

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