Beijing, January 23: China responded with a fierce broadside yesterday after Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, attacked its record on internet freedom. The country labelled Washington an “information imperialist” and said accusations that China was manipulating the internet for its own ends were false.
Web giant Google’s threat to leave China over cyber attacks on rights activists and internet censorship, combined with Ms Clinton’s strong denunciation of censorship, have caused the Google affair to escalate into a major row between Washington and Beijing.
The Chinese say the tension between the two superpowers is harming diplomatic ties, and Beijing officials told Ms Clinton to “stop finger-pointing”.
–Agencies