China has blocked The New York Times website and searches for it on microblogs after the newspaper reported that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabo’s extended family have controlled assets worth at least $2.7 billion. The Guardian reports:
A spokesman, Hong Lei, said the report “blackens China’s name and has ulterior motives”. Authorities have also blocked the news organisation’s main and Chinese-language websites and banned searches for “New York Times” in English and Chinese on microblogs.
“China manages the internet in accordance with laws and rules,” Hong told reporters at a daily briefing when asked why the sites were inaccessible.
