{"id":151509,"date":"2013-02-15T21:44:16","date_gmt":"2013-02-16T05:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=151509"},"modified":"2013-02-16T22:28:07","modified_gmt":"2013-02-17T06:28:07","slug":"chinas-internet-wall-hits-businesses-foreign-domestic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2013\/02\/chinas-internet-wall-hits-businesses-foreign-domestic\/","title":{"rendered":"China’s Internet ‘Wall’ Hits Foreign, Domestic Business"},"content":{"rendered":"
As online<\/a> regulation tightens<\/a>, Paul Mozur and Carlos Tejada report on its growing toll on foreign businesses in China<\/strong><\/a>. From The Wall Street Journal:<\/p>\n Fredrik Bergman ran into a problem when a client in Sweden tried to transfer files to his firm’s headquarters here: Each time, the firm lost its Web connection for an hour or so.<\/p>\n After several weeks of multiple outages a day, he says, the firm solved the puzzle: the files were named for the Swedish town of Falun, where the client was working. Mr. Bergman says his firm thinks the name triggered the filters China’s online censors use to block discussion of Falun Gong, a religious group long banned in China.<\/p>\n [\u2026] The American Chamber of Commerce in China said last year that nearly three-quarters of about 300 businesses it surveyed said unstable Internet access impedes their efficiency. About 40% said China’s censorship efforts have a negative business impact.<\/p>\n [\u2026] “The real question is whether the next administration is going to continue to roll back Internet availability to foreign firms,” [Shaun] Rein said. He said companies are unlikely to pull out of China in any case, but they likely will think twice about moves like shifting their regional headquarters to Beijing from places like Singapore and Hong Kong. “They will still invest in China,” he said. “It just depends on what scale.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n