China Looks to Export Censorship

BBC looks at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Melbourne Film Festival, and other recent examples of the Chinese government exporting censorship:

China often asks foreign governments and organisations not to do something that it perceives to be against its interests. It recently complained to Japan when Tokyo allowed Ms Kadeer to enter the country.

But it says this does not contravene its policy of non-interference.

“I believe the Chinese government has not violated the principle of interfering in others’ internal affairs,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu recently in response to a question about this policy.

But writer Dai Qing, who is also an environmental campaigner, believes China’s increasing economic muscle has emboldened the country’s leaders.

“China is using its economic influence to threaten its trade partners in order to censor what they don’t like,” she said.