China blocks all foreign websites

China's internet censorship system known as “the Great Firewall of China” intensified briefly today when all foreign websites blocked as users were unable to access them.

Observers speculated that the system could be being upgraded to further tighten the regime's control over foreign sites.

Users in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere in China reported that they were unable to access any foreign sites at all, The Daily Mail reports.

China had already restricted access to many foreign sites including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube citing a need to maintain social stability.

The change in the service came as China faced renewed attack from Western 'hacktivists' for its restrictive Internet policies and human rights violations.

Hacker group Anonymous has said it intends to launch a full-scale attack against the 'Great Firewall of China'.

Anonymous, a loosely knit group that has attacked financial and government websites around the world, hacked into Chinese government websites last week, defacing several, The paper reports said.