Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Global Times chief calls for internet freedom

Global Times chief calls for internet freedom

The editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a Chinese government-controlled newspaper, made a Weibo post calling on Beijing to grant people more freedom to visit foreign websites, but the post was quickly removed.

“It is extremely difficult to visit foreign websites as the National day Day is coming soon,” Hu Xijin, a high-profile propagandist at Global Times, wrote on Weibo at 12:03pm on Wednesday, adding that staff of the newspaper were also affected.

“Trusting the public is important … A vast majority of our people love China and the Communist Party of China (CPC). They have firm stances and strong analytical ability. This country is not fragile. I suggest to leave a grey area between our society and foreign websites,” he wrote.

Such a move would help China strengthen its opinion platforms while contributing to the exchange of scientific research and external communications, he said.

However, his post was removed within two hours. It was unclear whether the post was erased by the author or others.

For many years, China has blocked its people from visiting foreign websites with what’s known as its Great Firewall. Chinese internet users are not allowed to use western social media such as Facebook and YouTube but Weibo, Weixin and TikTok.

They cannot visit Hong Kong and Taiwanese news websites, as well as many US media sites such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Currently, people who work and live in China have to subscribe to Virtual Private Network (VPN) services to visit foreign websites. Beijing tends to tighten its control on the internet during politically sensitive periods, and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China is coming up on October 1.

In early June, access to Wikipedia was completely blocked in China as it was the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests on June 4.

On October 1, 2018, Hu wrote in a Weibo post that the lack of freedom of speech remained a problem in China, although he added he felt proud to be Chinese and celebrate the country’s 69th anniversary. That Weibo post was deleted within hours.

Chinese people mocked Hu for only saying a few words to promote freedom of speech while spending most of his efforts to please the party and Chinese leaders.

Hu is outspoken in the Chinese media industry and frequently discloses Beijing’s views in his Twitter account. He once said he was a party member with connections to a lot of high-rank officials and was allowed to cite their thoughts.

From late August to early September, Hu visited Hong Kong to see some subdivided flats and middle-class apartments. He said high property prices were one of the root causes of the city’s social unrest during the summer.

A week later, the People’s Daily and Xinhua News Agency blamed Hong Kong’s property developers for causing high home prices and political instability in the former British colony.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×