While most of the foreign media and human rights organizations report restricted access to certain websites, Xhinua states that China’s "openness to foreign media was a long-term policy rather than a puff of wind"…
The Beijing Olympic Action Plan 2002, elaborated after China was chosen to host the 2008 Olympic Games, The Beijing Promise, states: "In the preparation for the Games, we will be open in every aspect to the rest of the country and the whole world. We will draw on the successful experience of others and follow the international standards and criteria". Wang Wei, Secretary General of the Olympic Organizing Committee, promised to give the international media "complete freedom to report when they come to China."
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has been advocating for the respect of the right to freedom of expression and information both for foreign and for Chinese journalists, the latter being subjected to even harsher regulations. "Those restrictions are once more a terrible slap in the face of the international community as it blatantly shows that the Chinese government is not taking seriously its promise", said Souhayr Belhassen, President of FIDH.
As a response to the alleged restrictions, Sun Weide, the Beijing Olympics spokesman reportedly said that "If a few websites are difficult to browse, it’s mainly because they have spread content that is banned by the Chinese laws," as "The Internet is regulated according to law in China, just like in other countries".
FIDH condemns the lack of reaction of the International Olympic Committee to those restrictions on access to certain websites. "FIDH calls upon the Chinese government to respect the promise made when China was awarded the Olympic Games and to allow foreign and Chinese journalists full access to the websites recently blocked", declared FIDH president Souhayr Belhassen. "There are still a few days left for Beijing to take concrete actions", she concluded.