In a joint interview with the media in Beijing on March 1, Luo Fu, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), pointed out some of the problems that result from China’s online censorship rules.
Luo said that the speed of visits to overseas websites in China is becoming ever slower. This will greatly impact economic development and scientific research in China. It should garner a high degree of concern. Luo gave multiple examples that require attention. Some foreign university sites take more than half an hour to open; many domestic scholars and graduate students have to buy special software to get around the firewall for their scientific research needs. Some students in China cannot complete the relevant forms for online filing because they cannot open the university sites in foreign countries; some experts in China need to travel to Hong Kong on weekends or holidays and other places in order to visit overseas sites to research needed Information; some foreign enterprises in China also complain about the speed of visits to overseas websites. In recent years, some Taiwan delegations who visited the CPPCC also complained that there are a lot of websites they cannot normally enter while in the mainland. In addition, some well-known foreign search engines cannot normally be opened in China.
Luo believed that the main reasons for the problems are not enough bandwidth for an international port, limited online service providers, and online regulations that are too strict.
Luo’s interview was initially published on the CPPCC website and later withdrawn.
Source: Sohu, March 4, 2017
http://news.sohu.com/20170304/n482358871.shtml