Social media portals Facebook and Twitter will be allowed to operate uncensored during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Beijing next  week, but only for journalists covering the event, organisers said today.

Although normally blocked by Chinese censors, “Facebook and Twitter will be available without restrictions in the summit press centre,” a manager on the organising committee said.

The two social media portals will continue to be blocked across the rest of China during the summit.

China has stepped up its internet censorship recently, with increased blocking of Google services and interference with virtual private networks that can circumvent the firewall.

- dpa