The Computer & Communications Industry Association submitted its agenda suggestions for the 2009 U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade meeting this fall. CCIA asked the JCCT to address China’s Internet censorship tactics, including the latest move to require censorship software, as a trade barrier.
The following quote can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“The Internet can be a great tool for people to gather information, communicate and provide a more open, transparent relationship between government and its citizens. Or, the Internet can be among the greatest tools for political repression – depending on how a government uses it. Handing any government further tools to easily block information should be a concern for countries throughout the world. Countries that have supported China’s growth as a world player need to take a stand on issues like Internet censorship, which could send China backwards in its development as a nation.
“It’s time the U.S. government investigate Internet censorship in China and elsewhere as a trade issue. When China stifles online freedom for its citizens, it creates a hostile market environment by preventing them from fully using new products, applications and services offered by U.S. tech companies.”