Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10KATHMANDU82
2010-01-28 11:31:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:
MEDIA REACTION: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND INTERNET DIPLOMACY
how-toVZCZCXYZ0012 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHKT #0082 0281131 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 281131Z JAN 10 FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1362 INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 3489 RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 7671 RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 3022 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 5710
UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000082
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO
STATE FOR SCA/PPD, PA/RRU
E.O. 12958 N/A
TAGS: KMDR, KPAO, PGOV, OPRC, NP
SUBJ: MEDIA REACTION: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND
INTERNET DIPLOMACY
UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000082
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO
STATE FOR SCA/PPD, PA/RRU
E.O. 12958 N/A
TAGS: KMDR, KPAO, PGOV, OPRC, NP
SUBJ: MEDIA REACTION: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND
INTERNET DIPLOMACY
1. SUMMARY: Nepal's popular vernacular daily
Nagarik (circulation: 30,000) on Thursday, January
28, ran an opinion piece "Internet Diplomacy" by
freelance writer Purna Basnet. Basnet states that
freedom of expression on the internet has now become
an American foreign policy goal.
2. TRANSLATED EXCERPTS: "... Just as Google issued
notice about its closure in China, China-based
internet company Baidu stated that its search engine
had been attacked. This terror of cyber crime has
affected every internet user in China but nobody
knows the facts. ... U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton compared China's resistance to Google's
search results to a "new-age Berlin Wall" and urged
Beijing for a probe into attacks against Google. She
also states that it is now a diplomatic issue since
China issued a statement that the U.S. policy to
support Google could jeopardize relations between
the two nations.
3. "... America tried to garner support among
Chinese internet users and the American embassy in
Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou brought together
Chinese bloggers, critics and supporters to discuss
Secretary Clinton's statements. These debates
demonstrate that Washington wants to make this a
diplomatic issue. But Beijing is irate that America
is trying to impose its own internet policy riding
on Google's back."
4. "... China is the largest internet-using country
in the world and Google's second-largest market
after the United States. More than 60 percent of
Chinese internet users use Baidu as a search engine.
While Google is struggling to compete with Baidu in
China, there are also suspicions that Google will
discard the huge market that lies in China."
5. "... The issue of Google no longer remains a
business matter. Many view this as a new form of
political differences between Beijing and
Washington. ... This has now become a high-level
issue of freedom of expression over the internet.
This conflict between two powerful countries has
given a new dimension to the debate of freedom of
expression, which is likely to create a new cyber
war."
ORDWAY
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO
STATE FOR SCA/PPD, PA/RRU
E.O. 12958 N/A
TAGS: KMDR, KPAO, PGOV, OPRC, NP
SUBJ: MEDIA REACTION: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND
INTERNET DIPLOMACY
1. SUMMARY: Nepal's popular vernacular daily
Nagarik (circulation: 30,000) on Thursday, January
28, ran an opinion piece "Internet Diplomacy" by
freelance writer Purna Basnet. Basnet states that
freedom of expression on the internet has now become
an American foreign policy goal.
2. TRANSLATED EXCERPTS: "... Just as Google issued
notice about its closure in China, China-based
internet company Baidu stated that its search engine
had been attacked. This terror of cyber crime has
affected every internet user in China but nobody
knows the facts. ... U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton compared China's resistance to Google's
search results to a "new-age Berlin Wall" and urged
Beijing for a probe into attacks against Google. She
also states that it is now a diplomatic issue since
China issued a statement that the U.S. policy to
support Google could jeopardize relations between
the two nations.
3. "... America tried to garner support among
Chinese internet users and the American embassy in
Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou brought together
Chinese bloggers, critics and supporters to discuss
Secretary Clinton's statements. These debates
demonstrate that Washington wants to make this a
diplomatic issue. But Beijing is irate that America
is trying to impose its own internet policy riding
on Google's back."
4. "... China is the largest internet-using country
in the world and Google's second-largest market
after the United States. More than 60 percent of
Chinese internet users use Baidu as a search engine.
While Google is struggling to compete with Baidu in
China, there are also suspicions that Google will
discard the huge market that lies in China."
5. "... The issue of Google no longer remains a
business matter. Many view this as a new form of
political differences between Beijing and
Washington. ... This has now become a high-level
issue of freedom of expression over the internet.
This conflict between two powerful countries has
given a new dimension to the debate of freedom of
expression, which is likely to create a new cyber
war."
ORDWAY