'The Wall Street Journal' and Reuters Blocked in China

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Paul Bischoff for Tech in Asia 2013-11-15 16:38:11 UTC

The Chinese websites for The Wall Street Journal and Reuters have both been blocked by the Great Firewall of China. Their English-language sites are still reachable.

Paul Mozur from the Journal tweeted the news Friday from Beijing. Tech in Asia‘s Beijing staff tested and confirmed the block at 3:50 p.m. local time.

As of right now, the government’s reasons for blocking the sites are unclear. It’s uncertain if this block will be permanent (some have been lifted in the past) or temporary.

Last week, The New York Times also reported a veteran reporter for Reuters, who has spent the better part of his career in Asia, was denied a journalist visa.

This latest round of censorship comes just a couple days after the Communist Party’s third Plenum meeting ended, and media have been publishing their analyses. On Wednesday, the Times revealed United States bank JP Morgan Chase’s shady dealings with the daughter of former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, Wen Ruchun.

Last summer, the Chinese government blocked several high profile news sites after revelations about a secret fortune held by then-premier Wen Jiabao surfaced. The New York Times , Bloomberg and Businessweek were all added to the long list of censored websites, and those blocks remain in effect.

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