SHANGHAI, China - Google, the Internet search engine recently blocked in China by the government, appeared to be up and running Thursday. But anyone clicking into sensitive stories that include keywords such as Falun Gong or Jiang Zemin will likely hit a wall.
It's part of the routine crackdown on the media that happens in China whenever an important public event is on the horizon - in this case, the upcoming 16th Communist Party Congress, which opens Nov. 8.
The Chinese government's watchword is stability: It wants to create an atmosphere of political and social unity before the conclave. Newspaper coverage recently has been sanitized to accentuate positive news and de-emphasize negative stories about official corruption and the like.
Two weeks ago, President Jiang Zemin called on the media and other propaganda outlets to create a "sound atmosphere" for the upcoming congress by trumpeting the successes of the Communist Party over the past 20 years of reform.
But China is no longer the same old totalitarian state. The Internet and a thriving market economy have transformed the country into a free-wheeling society much harder to control.
The popularity of the Internet has skyrocketed in recent years. An estimated 45 million Chinese now cruise the Web. Internet police struggle in vain to patrol chat rooms, play cat-and-mouse with users who try to get around government firewalls, and block material deemed harmful or otherwise critical of the state.
The crackdown on Google and Altavista, both popular search engines in China, triggered a flurry of denunciations from users, including businesses that rely on the Internet for access to information.
"What crime has Google committed that it has to be banned? Alas, I'm speechless!" wrote one participant in Strong Country Forum, a chat room.