U.S. Relations With the People's Republic of China (2008)

U.S. Department of State

Daily Press Briefing

Tom Casey, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC
May 1, 2008

12:52 p.m. EDT

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QUESTION: (Inaudible) a story from China? Sam Brownback today gave a press conference, citing sources from China saying that China – Chinese authorities are trying to pressure U.S. hotel chains to filter their Internet to and fro during the Olympics. Have you got any comments on that? Do you know about this at all?

MR. CASEY: I haven't seen his comments or the remarks made. Certainly, we have been concerned by a number of efforts to restrict people's freedom of information. That includes both some of the trials of individual human rights activists and those who are supporting democratic developments in China. And we've certainly spoken out, too, about efforts to restrict access to the Internet in China as well as in other countries.

I am not aware of what specifically might be occurring vis-à-vis hotel chains and the Olympics, but in point of fact, we would hope – we would hope that people in China would be able to have access to all forms of information that are out there, including those that are available online, and that would apply to those who are full-time residents of China as well as those who might be visiting for the Olympics.

QUESTION: But if this – if this is credible and this is affecting freedom of information for U.S. citizens that are going to be visiting during the Olympics, is this something you would definitely take up with the Chinese Government?

MR. CASEY: Well, again, Internet restrictions and restrictions on free flow of information are already part of our dialogue with the Government of China and I'm sure, to the extent that this relates to – that this is true or relates back to those issues, I'm sure it would be a subject we'd discuss with them.

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(The briefing was concluded at 1:15 p.m.)