China bans some foreign Web sites

BEIJING, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- China appears to have reinstated its ban on a number of foreign Web sites, including the BBC's Chinese language news site, the British company reported.

The foreign sites were unblocked during the August Summer Olympics in Beijing after complaints of censorship from journalists, the report said.

The BBC said in a statement it was disappointed that Chinese-speaking audiences in China have been denied access to BBCChinese.com.

There was no direct comment on the report, but Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in Beijing Tuesday certain Web sites have violated Chinese laws, such as regarding China and Taiwan as two independent regions, Xinhua reported.

Liu said the government conducts necessary management over the Internet and that it is the same with other countries, the report said.