Since the end of last year, the California First Amendment Coalition, a free speech group with ties to the US tech industry, has been pushing the Bush administration to launch a trade dispute against China on internet censorship.

A petition the group has filed with the Office of the US Trade Representative argues that American internet service providers were being severely damaged by restrictions placed on internet usage by Beijing. The curbs violate several international trade agreements, CFAC says, including the protocol China signed when it joined the WTO in 2001.