According to the South China Morning Post, the Chinese government has decided to lift a ban on foreign websites deemed politically sensitive, albeit only within the newly developed Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

When I first saw this news, I felt rather excited. Growing up in Shanghai, I always paid close attention to the current events in my hometown. The Free Trade Zone launched in September is designed as a testing ground for a number of economic reforms. The Free Trade Zone will also be the first area on mainland China to allow access to politically sensitive websites (such as Facebook, Twitter, and the New York Times) that were previously blocked by filters. These filters are casually referred to as the Great Firewall of China.

Although it only gives the newly developed 17 square mile Shanghai Free Trade Zone access to Facebook, this could have a bigger meaning for China, the country with the largest number of Internet users (513 million).

Facebook was banned in China since 2009 onward due to several members of the minority Uighur group that used the social media site to organize protests against the government. And this is the first time that the Chinese government has loosened their control over foreign social media websites like Facebook and Twitter. This could be a signal that China is more open to the politically sensitive websites. Could the similar policies apply to other cities in China?

This latest development lets Facebook and Twitter get their feet in the door of the most populous and fastest-growing Internet community in the world.  Competition with other government approved social media sites, including Renren and Sina Weibo, is undeniably fierce. How will Facebook compete with these established Chinese social media platforms with their large online communities? This will be Facebook and Twitter’s upcoming obstacle as they decide to expand their strategies in China.

Source: http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/24/technology/china-facebook/index.html