The Chinese leadership’s reaction to the Arab spring has so far been more pronounced than that of its people. Although there have been few outpourings of democratic longing, the authorities have crushed any whiff of protest – and even the means by which dissent may be expressed. This week, Google accused Beijing of disrupting its e-mail service inside the country. Google claims the crackdown was covert, designed to look like an internal error. This episode reflects the Chinese authorities’ attitude to the internet: they are both dazzled by its economic possibilities and fearful of its political consequences.

The Chinese government has long recognised the internet’s potential role in fomenting dissent. Google’s relations with Beijing have been fiery since January 2010, when the internet company said it was no longer willing to censor search results. Other web ventures have also been curtailed: social networking site Facebook is banned, for example.

It is not surprising that revolts across the Arab world have made Beijing particularly jumpy. Anti-government protesters in Egypt and Tunisia used the web to spread information and gather support. The most populous nation on earth also has little say in choosing its rulers and, despite rigorous monitoring, hundreds of schools of thought contend online in China. Circumventing the censors is both possible and popular. In January, President Hu Jintao called for tighter internet supervision.