China's internet censorship amounts to trade barrier: EC

China's censorship of the internet constituted a trade barrier and should be dealt with by the World Trade Organisation, said European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes.

Kroes, who is also in charge of charting the European Union's digital agenda, said yesterday she had raised the issue in Beijing last week in a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang. "It is one of those issues that needs to be tackled in the WTO," Kroes said in Shanghai as she concluded a five-day visit to China.

China blocks access to web content the government deems unacceptable, ranging from pornography to political dissent, in a vast censorship system called the "Great Firewall of China".

Kroes spoke to reporters during a visit to the Shanghai headquarters of Tudou.com, a popular Chinese video-sharing website founded by Chinese and Dutch entrepreneurs. She said China's "Great Firewall" was a trade issue "as long as that is a real barrier for communication".

"I am pushing wherever I can to get the European enterprises in a fair and level playing field in China – and the other way around," said Kroes, who is also a former competition commissioner.

She added that European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht was very involved in discussions on what action the EU should take.