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China blocks Google sites amid Tiananmen security drive
by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) June 03, 2014


Brad Pitt breaks the ice with China visit after Tibet row
Shanghai (AFP) June 03, 2014 - Movie star Brad Pitt is visiting China with his partner, actress Angelina Jolie, effectively ending an unspoken ban after he angered communist authorities by appearing in the 1997 film "Seven Years in Tibet".

Jolie was in Shanghai on Tuesday to promote her latest film "Maleficent", a modern retelling of the life of Sleeping Beauty's arch-nemesis, along with three of their children, but Pitt seemed intent on keeping a low profile.

Right at this moment, they (the children) are in dim sum classes with their dad," Jolie said, referring to the popular southern Chinese cuisine.

The family visited a contemporary art museum and took walks in the commercial Chinese city, she said, but made no mention of the earlier controversy.

"It's been a wonderful experience for our family," she told journalists at Shanghai's luxury Peninsula Hotel, where the family is staying. Pitt did not appear at the news conference.

Pitt previously played Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian mountain climber who became friends with the Dalai Lama at the time of China's takeover of Tibet in 1950.

China considers Tibet part of its sovereign territory and has accused Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who now lives in exile, of seeking independence for the region.

The Hollywood Reporter said the controversy already appeared to be easing as Frenchman Jean-Jacques Annaud, who directed the Tibet film, was making the movie "Wolf Totem" backed by the state-run China Film Group.

Pitt has also appeared in advertisements in China for the Cadillac brand of US auto giant General Motors since last year.

On China's Twitter-like microblogs, few appeared to be aware of the ban -- which was never announced by Chinese officials -- but some criticised him for the role.

"Tibet separatist," said one under the name Guihaixiachong while another called him an "Anti-China celebrity".

Jolie said she was thrilled her latest film "Maleficent" had debuted at the top of the box office, raking in nearly $70 million in North America over the past weekend. The movie not only casts Jolie in the title role as the malevolent fairy but was also produced by the star.

"This type of film is really one you do for the audience. It thrills me that people are enjoying it and it's a success," she said.

Several Google websites have been blocked in China, a monitoring service said Tuesday, as authorities step up arrests and censorship before the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

A stepped-up police presence is visible on Beijing's streets, while dozens have been detained in the run-up to Wednesday's anniversary, when China moves to block any public commemoration.

"I've been ordered to stay close to my house... so I can't live or work normally," environmental activist Wu Lihong told AFP, adding that the restrictions were likely to last until June 10.

Police in Beijing on Sunday detained Chinese-Australian artist Guo Jian, who produced artwork about the crackdown.

The Tiananmen protests were crushed when soldiers killed hundreds -- by some estimates more than 1,000 -- unarmed civilians.

Amnesty International has denounced the detention as part of a "merciless campaign of repression", adding that "scores" of activists have been detained in recent weeks.

Seventeen activists have been detained on criminal charges, while more than 30 others are believed held under house arrest or other forms of detention, the group said.

Those criminally detained include celebrated human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, detained last month along with four others on a charge of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" after attending a private seminar about the crackdown.

Those detained are unlikely to be released until next week, effectively preventing them from marking the anniversary, Si Weijiang, a friend of Pu, told AFP.

Police on Tuesday were stationed at major overpasses in the city, though their numbers were also boosted as part of an anti-terror campaign following deadly attacks in recent months blamed on separatists from the far-western Xinjiang region.

Beijing authorities have recruited 850,000 citizen volunteers to act as informants in a year-long anti-terrorism campaign, state media reported last week.

China blocks access to a host of websites including YouTube and Twitter using a system known as the "Great Firewall," and restrictions are tightened before dates the government considers sensitive.

The ruling Communist Party blocks public discussion of the June 4 crackdown.

Overseas versions of Google, accessible in China after the technology giant partially withdrew from the mainland in 2010, have now been blocked, according to monitoring group GreatFire.org.

Affected products include google.com -- the world's most visited website -- alongside country-specific versions of Google homepages.

"Because the block has lasted for 4 days, it's more likely that Google will be severely disrupted and barely usable from now on," the website said.

"The 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident is coming. This highlights another fierce battle in the war between China censorship authority and information flow," it added.

Google stopped offering a search engine service within mainland China in 2010, citing censorship, but users were redirected to the Hong Kong version which was usually accessible, although sometimes blocked.

Google said it was not responsible for the shutdown.

"We've checked extensively and there's nothing wrong on our end," a spokesman told AFP, adding that some Google services are accessible in China.

Asked about the blockages, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a regular press briefing that China "manages the Internet according to the law".

Hong, queried about the Tiananmen crackdown, added: "China's position is clear and we have reached a conclusion. In more than 30 years of reform and opening up, we have achieved remarkable progress in social and economic development."

Regarding the detention of Guo Jian, the Chinese-Australian artist, Hong said China "is a country governed by the rule of law, and we will follow relevant laws in dealing with this incident".

Difficulties accessing Google are unlikely to affect most Internet users in China, where the US-based company's share of the online search market stood at just 1.2 percent in April, according to Chinese market research company CNZZ.

Censorship has also been stepped up on popular Chinese websites. Searches for the date "6.4" have been blocked by Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese alternative to Twitter.

A rival service, Tencent Weibo, is censoring searches for "Willow Silk", which sounds like "Six Four" in Chinese.

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