China has blocked the website of Australia’s public broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), adding to the growing list of media outlets censored in the country.
ABC’s website was blocked on Aug. 22, according to an official statement by ABC — the same day the Australian government banned Chinese tech companies Huawei and ZTE from building Australia’s 5G network due to national security concerns.
ABC now joins the New York Times, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal, whose websites are also blocked in China.
ABC said Chinese authorities declined to say what rules the website had broken.
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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Australian radio station 3AW on Monday that it was China’s own decision to block ABC and the move is out of Australia’s control.
“China’s a sovereign country,” he said.
“They make decisions about what happens there. We make decisions about what happens here.”
China’s Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission told ABC in a statement that China’s internet is “fully open,” but “state cyber sovereignty rights shall be maintained towards some overseas websites violating China’s laws and regulations… which will endanger state security and damage national pride.”