The relaxing of controls and the appearance of openness for the Olympic Games seems to have been temporary. China has re-instituted controls on internet access and has begun blocking web sites again:

“…Liu Jianchao, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said at his semi-weekly news conference on Tuesday in Beijing that the Chinese government had a right to censor Web sites that violate the country’s laws…”

link: Olympics over, China said to be blocking Web sites again

As most experienced netizens know, there are ways to circumvent such blockages. The Chinese internet community has developed contacts beyond its geo-political borders. It simply will be more difficult for the Chinese government to control the flow of information. The Chinese internet users want input of information but they also wants to put out news and viewpoints to the international community. The only certain way to control input and output of information is for the Chinese authorities to remove internet services completely.

Catherine Forsythe