With recent upgrades made to the Great Firewall, many VPN users are finding it difficult to access certain websites that are restricted in China. Expats may find this to be a nuisance or more, but to state-run nationalist newspaper Global Times, there is only one word that can properly describe this: “achievement”.

In an op-ed, the Global Times says the Great Firewall is working, but doesn’t understand why anyone would get upset at being denied access to certain sites. That’s because there aren’t that many websites that the GFW blocks:

The firewall really isn’t a way to partition China’s Internet to be separate from the foreign Internet, but a way to screen out a few websites and webpages. Each Internet is fully connected with each other, but there are a few specific places where the connection between the two is intercepted.
What needs to be pointed out is that throughout the vast confines of the foreign internet, the places where these intercepts are made are few and far between.

Other officials are in support of the Great Firewall as a way to ensure the “healthy development” of the Internet. Director of telecom development at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Wen Ku said, ”The country needs new methods to tackle new problems … the development of the Internet has to be in accordance with Chinese law.”

The Global Times points out the GFW is only a tool to serve a purpose—for now:

We can’t always make it so the young people of China “can’t view X”, but we need to teach them the ability so that “viewing X won’t damage them”.

The paper concludes by saying that it hopes there won’t be a need for the Great Firewall once China is strong and confident enough to exist without it.

Netizens agree though:

陈奇Alex：
So what would happen if (they) were to see (this prohibited content) now?

当律师的陈刚：
Opening up (the internet) would be show true confidence.

Whisky先生：
‘A few.’ [cat.emoji]

Photo: People’s Daily Online