China, 'Unafraid' Of Internet, Blocks YouTube

YouTube, owned by search engine giant Google, has been blocked since Monday from access by users in China, a county renowned for filtering Internet content critical of the Communist Party and other content it deems subversive or controversial.

Google confirmed that the popular video-sharing site was currently blocked, but declined to speculate on the government's reason for the action.

"YouTube is currently blocked in China. We don't know the reason for the blockage, but are working as quickly as possible to restore access to our users in China," a Google spokesperson told Reuters.

Google did not comment on whether YouTube contacted the Chinese authorities to confirm whether the blockage resulted from a government mandate or a technical problem.

Meanwhile, China's Foreign Ministry Qin Gang said that he was unaware that the Chinese government blocked access to YouTube.

"Many people have a false impression that the Chinese government fears the Internet. It fact, it is just the opposite," Gang told Reuters.

In recent days, YouTube posted a video that appears to show police fatally beating a Tibetan protester. China contends the video was a fake.

In the past, the Chinese government has prevented access to both Google and YouTube by its citizens, according to Google. And China has a long history of blocking access to specific videos and sites that have been inflammatory or unflattering to government policies.

Meanwhile, initial reports of blocked YouTube access emerged around March 14, which marked the one-year anniversary of antigovernment Tibetan protests against Chinese domination. March 17 also marked the 50th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's escape into exile in India after Chinese troops quelled a Tibetan uprising.

Gang said that China's 300 million Internet users and 100 million blogs demonstrated that "China's Internet is open enough, but also needs to be regulated by law in order to prevent the spread of harmful information and for national security."

China is not the first nation to control video Web content shared among its citizenry. Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and Thailand have also prevented users from accessing the popular video site. However, many of the countries have eventually lifted their YouTube ban.