Global Times Promotes "Freedom of Speech"

News comes from Fei Chang Dao that the Global Times is working hard to promote freedom of speech on the Chinese mainland.  Previously, the Chinese government has been relucantant to answer qustions about Internet and civil freedoms in China, but now seems to take a different tack, openly reporting that the Japanese version of the Chinese search engine Baidu  was blocked because of pornographic content.

As Chine wrestles with it's position in the global economy, the whimsical nature of the Chinese censorship system throws up the occasional blip in reality for Chinese consumers.  This month, while  Despicable Me 2 has been receiving coverage in Chinese language entertainment magazines, and has been heavily promoted on the Beijing subway video feeds, the movie itself has been deemed illegal by SARFT and is unlikely to be screened to Chinese audiences.

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