Dear all,

It has come to the attention of the Wikimania 2013 Hong Kong organizing team that there may be confusion over the situation of internet censorship in China and whether it affects Hong Kong. [1]

We would like to clarify that, although Hong Kong has been nominally part of the People's Republic of China since 1997, the city-state of Hong Kong retains complete independence over civilian affairs. This, of course, means that internet regulation in Hong Kong is completely separate from that of Mainland China, and therefore internet censorship in Mainland China (the "Great Firewall of China", [2]) does not apply to Hong Kong.

We would like to reassure all Wikimedians, especially those considering to attend Wikimania 2013, that Wikipedia has never been censored in Hong Kong. Visitors to Hong Kong will enjoy, among other things such as exuberant local cuisine and efficient public transport, uncensored internet connection and unhindered access to Wikimedia projects.

We hope to see you all at Wikimania 2012 in Washington DC and Wikimania 2013 in Hong Kong.

With best wishes,
Deryck Chan
Global engagement coordinator
Wikimania 2013 organizing team / Wikimedia Hong Kong

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Wikipedia_Signpost/2012-05-07/News_and_notes
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Firewall

(cross-posted to wikimania-l, internal-l and wikimedia-l)