But foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei did not explicitly deny that government censors were restricting the flow of information about the demonstrations against the 30-year rule of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

"China's Internet is open," Hong told reporters when asked if Beijing was censoring searches about the week of protests, which have left more than 100 people dead and Mubarak clinging to power.

Keyword searches on sina.com's Twitter-like microblog service, China's market leader with more than 50 million users, returned no results on the Egypt unrest on Tuesday.

Searches on some web portals returned an error message saying the topic was not allowed under "relevant laws, regulations and policies".

Online comments about news reports on the protests on sina.com and sohu.com also appeared to have been scrubbed, but some reader discussion on portal Netease could be seen.

Reports by the official Xinhua news agency focused on an offer by newly appointed Vice President Omar Suleiman for talks with opposition parties, rather than the protests sweeping the country.

Beijing actively censors content seen as a potential challenge to the legitimacy of the ruling Communist Party.

When asked if China had been in contact with Mubarak and supported growing international calls for a smooth transition of power, Hong said Beijing was monitoring the situation "closely".

"Egypt is a friend of China. We hope Egypt will restore social stability and normal order as soon as possible," he said, reiterating his remarks from previous days.

China's leaders have faced mounting public discontent in recent years over hot-button issues including persistent reports of abusive government officials, environmental damage and now surging inflation.

Beijing's reaction to the Egypt situation recalls similar curbs put in place during the so-called "colour revolutions" in eastern Europe a decade ago.

earlier related report
Anger over 'accidental' death of Chinese activist
Beijing (AFP) Feb 1, 2011 - A Chinese court ruled Tuesday that the death of a village chief crushed by a truck in December was accidental, sparking outrage from those who suspect he was murdered for campaigning over land seizures.

The gruesome December 25 death of 53-year-old Qian Yunhui has rattled authorities at a time when the government is trying to tamp down public anger over a range of hot-button issues including official abuses and rising prices.

Qian had demanded compensation for farmers whose land was seized to make way for a power station, and his death stirred passions after doubt was cast on the official version of events.

Explicit photos posted online appeared to show Qian, who had been leader of Zhaiqiao village in the eastern province of Zhejiang, crushed under the wheels of a truck.

A court sentenced the unlicensed driver, Fei Liangyu, to three-and-a-half years in prison on Tuesday for "accidentally" running over Qian, China Central Television (CCTV) said in an in-depth live report.

Police and the courts said it was a simple hit-and-run, basing their conclusions in part on video footage supposedly recorded by Qian's wristwatch during the incident -- images dismissed by some as a total fabrication.

"Looking at this videotape, I think you must say that it is not a traffic accident -- this is murder," said one chatroom posting on the popular web portal Netease.com.

"Why is he the only one to wear a wristwatch video camera -- why does he need to videotape? Do judges wear wristwatch video cameras?"

CCTV on Tuesday repeatedly broadcast the shaky footage -- apparently shot by a figure walking down a road and which ends with the image being severely jarred and, finally, a shot of a truck's wheel.

The reports appeared aimed at underlining the official version that it was a simple traffic accident.

Another Netease user said: "We've seen these inferior (government) tactics before and it is unclear whether they think the people are dumb, easily fooled or downright stupid.

"This is a tragedy, an out-and-out naked lie."

Chatrooms hosting discussions of the case on Netease and other major Chinese portals were later shut down, apparently to stifle anti-government comments, but discussion continued on Sina.com's popular Twitter-like microblog service.

Court officials refused comment when contacted by AFP.

Qian had been detained three times since 2005 for repeatedly demanding compensation for farmers after nearly 150 hectares (370 acres) of land was seized by Zhejiang Provincial Energy Group Company, earlier reports said.

The village was entitled to up to 65 million yuan ($10 million) in compensation but none had been disbursed, reports said.

Fei fled the scene of the accident but subsequently confessed to the crime and paid Qian's family 1.05 million yuan in compensation, which helped mitigate the sentence, a court official said in the CCTV footage.

Government-backed land requisitions, often in collusion with real estate developers, remain one of China's most controversial issues, with authorities routinely accused of enriching themselves through arbitrary land grabs.

The government has recently indicated mounting concern over that and other key controversial issues such as corruption and massive environmental degradation that are blamed for thousands of public protests each year.

In another celebrated case, a Chinese court on Sunday sentenced a man to six years after he attempted to exploit the rank of his father -- a local police official -- to flee a fatal road accident in October.

Li Qiming, 23, who pleaded guilty to driving drunk and vehicular manslaughter, had reportedly shouted after the accident in the city of Baoding "My father is Li Gang!", as he dared bystanders to take action against him.

The phrase quickly went viral on the Chinese Internet as a symbol of the high-handedness of some government officials and their relatives, reports of which regularly provoke public anger.

Rights groups said the government last month ordered official media to restrict coverage of such controversial issues this year, while Premier Wen Jiabao recently made a rare recent visit to an office handling public complaints, vowing the government would address those and other concerns.

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