The Chinese government has blocked The Guardian website according to internet watchdog www.greatfire.org.
It is understood that the newspaper’s website was blacklisted by authorities on Tuesday. The New York Times and Bloomberg were both blocked in 2012 for stories deemed critical of the regime.
The Guardian said the last China-related story was published on 6 January exploring ethnic tensions in the north-western region of Xinjang. However previous stories on the same subject did not result in a ban.
According to the Guardian, Chinese language versions of Reuters and the Wall Street Journal were both blocked for a month in November 2013.
It is understood that numerous attempts have been made to access The Guardian across a range of platforms from Beijing, however all attempts have failed.
A spokesperson for Guardian News and Media said: “Obviously we are dismayed that theguardian.com has been blocked in China. The reason for this is currently unclear but we are investigating the extent of the block and hope that access to our website will return to normal in the very near future.”
According to Reuters, Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry said at a press conference: “This is the first time I have heard of this. I don’t understand the situation. You can inquire with China’s relevant department.”
The Guardian launched a Chinese-language news section in May 2009. The experiment was shut down by Chinese authorities in December 2009
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