Facebook in China*!

An interesting article about developments in Shanghai’s Free Trade Zone.  While it certainly represents a movement towards internet freedom, onlookers should see this development as what it is: a very SMALL opening in the Great Firewall (in a district where most residents already have ways of getting to foreign sites).  Put simply, such freedom can be granted because it is largely irrelevant. 

Some have seen the opening of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone as a way of putting political pressure on Hong Kong, which has long been China’s main liaison with the outside world, offering political and economic freedom that greatly expedited foreign business in China.  With the opening of Shanghai, however, the city could serve as a second door into the country for foreign business, allowing for increased investment and development in a city that already has well established institutions for business and finance.

While the opening up of the internet in Shanghai may not be all it’s cracked up to be, it’s still worth keeping in mind as more details are released about the city.  The Trade Zone may serve a similar purpose as Shenzhen did years ago: the vanguard of ‘reform and opening up’, lighting the way for the rest of China.

Shanghai Free Trade Zone schedules “opening online restrictions” at the end of the month

Last updated: September 24^th, 2013, GMT 12:03 PM

The Shanghai Experimental Free Trade Zone is a major initiative by the Chinese government to reform China’s financial sector

The Shanghai Free Trade Zone will officially open on September 29^th, and China will release the internet restrictions in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, granting access to “politically sensitive” foreign websites within the Free Trade Zone.

A report in the Hong Kong South China Morning Post stated that the Chinese government made a major decision yesterday to release the internet restrictions in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, allowing those within the zone to access sites such as Facebook, Twitter, the New York Times, and other foreign sites that have long been viewed by the Chinese government as politically sensitive.

The Shanghai Free Trade Zone will officially open on September 29^th under the full name “China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone”.

On the afternoon of September 29^th, the Shanghai City government will hold a press conference, releasing the policies, rules, and regulations of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

The Shanghai Experimental Free Trade Zone is a major initiative by the Chinese government to reform China’s financial sector.  According to comments on the Xinhua site, the intent to open the zone has existed since China first entered into the World Trade Organization.

Open Internet?

The South China Morning Post stated: “according to information provided by those close with the government, the Free Trade Zone management will allow foreign telecommunications companies to get licenses to compete within the Free Trade Zone.

China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom” will all be able to compete directly with foreign companies.

According to the report, “informants, who requested to remain anonymous because of the highly sensitive nature of the information, said that because the Free Trade Zone must attract foreign investment, the zone must make foreign nationals feel safe and secure, and create an environment where they will feel at home”; thus, they needed to open up the internet.

However, the internet will only be opened up within the Shanghai Free Trade Zone; internet throughout the rest of the Mainland will still not open up.

At present, all parties are still monitoring the possibility of realistic internet freedom in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, and to what extent it will open up.  However, many Chinese netizens reacted positively to the South China Morning Post’s report, many believing it to be a first step for a continued opening up of the Chinese economy and society.

Translator (Chinese) Li Xing   Editor Gu Yin

Translator (English) Paul Orner

Original Chinese http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/business/2013/09/130924_china_shanghai_pftz.shtml