From Reuters via the Washington Post (link)
China defended its latest rules controlling foreign access to domestic media and television on Tuesday, saying the government was simply protecting intellectual property rights but was still committed to an open market. Senior officials also said Chinese people preferred reading foreign magazines on science and technology — which are permitted by the government — and that sensitive topics of religion and politics were unsuitable for local readers.
The defense came the same day Chinese President Hu Jintao embarks on a trip to the United States where he will meet President George W. Bush, who is likely to raise human rights and individual freedom issues with Hu.
