Unplug ‘Great Firewall’ to help China compete, Shanghai lawmaker says

Name: How China censors the internet
Uploaded: 2025-01-17T07:03:01.000Z
Duration: 2 min 33 s
Description: How China censors the internet

Legislator Mao Xiangdong calls for lifting of internet restrictions in free-trade zones, financial districts and universities

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Strict internet controls should be lifted in zones such as Shanghai’s Lujiazui financial district to help boost China’s development, a Shanghai lawmaker says. Photo: AFP

William Zheng

Published: 3:03pm, 17 Jan 2025Updated: 5:53pm, 17 Jan 2025

A lawmaker in China’s financial hub of Shanghai has called for the lifting of strict internet controls in free-trade zones, financial districts and universities to help support AI development and attract foreign investment and talent.

Mao Xiangdong, vice-president of the Shanghai Institute of Technology and a member of the standing committee of the municipal people’s congress, proposed the idea during Shanghai’s ongoing legislative sessions, according to a post by China Development News, a newspaper under the National Development and Reform Commission.

It is not clear when the post was put online but it was removed on Friday morning.

Shanghai should “continue to learn new technologies from developed countries”, Mao said, according to Toutiao, a popular news and information aggregation site.

He added that the mission of building China into an international economic, financial, trade, shipping, science and tech innovation centre – as envisioned by President Xi Jinping – required “global exchanges”.

During an inspection trip to the city in December 2023, Xi discussed a “five-centres goal”, in which Shanghai should be a global hub based on the economy, finance, trade, shipping, and scientific and technological innovation. The plan became a trending political and economic vision for the city.

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How China censors the internet