Sept. 4, 2002, 6:04AM

Associated Press

BEIJING -- As China's government prepares for its annual Communist Party meeting in November and clamps down on various media sources, the country has been left without major Internet access: popular search engine Google.

Attempts to look at the site through Chinese Internet services Tuesday were rejected with a notice saying it couldn't be found. Users and technical consultants who monitor the Chinese Internet said the site has been blocked for several days.

"We were notified by our users that access to Google in China had been blocked. We are working with Chinese authorities to resolve the issue," said Google spokeswoman Cindy McCaffrey.

She had no further information about what the discussion with Chinese authorities might involve or when Google access within China might be restored.

China routinely tightens controls on news and information around politically sensitive dates, and state media quoted President Jiang Zemin in August as telling propaganda officials to create a "sound atmosphere" for the meeting.

Google is hugely popular among China's 45 million Internet users because of its wide-ranging search capacity. A search in English for Jiang's name turns up links to 156,000 Web sites mentioning him.

By contrast, a search on Sina.com, another portal that is popular in China, turns up just 1,600 mentions of Jiang. The Chinese-language service of American search engine Yahoo! turns up just 24 results.

Google does not weed out material the Chinese government blocks as subversive.

A search for Jiang on Google turns up a Web page posted by the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement entitled "Exposing the crimes of Jiang Zemin." The group accuses Jiang of killing its followers in the course of a crackdown aimed at eliminating the group, [...].

A spokeswoman for New York-based Human Rights Watch cautioned that attempts by Google to negotiate with China for the return of its service could mar its reputation as an unfettered Internet access point.

"Any companies that are doing business in China, if they are negotiating, it should not be at the expense of free expression," said Human Rights Watch spokeswoman Minky Worden. "What we're seeing ahead of the Party congress in November is a chill in a variety of areas in China."

China promotes the Internet for economic use and to spread the communist government's views. But it has worked hard to muzzle the Internet as a forum for free information and discussion.

Authorities apply blocks to prevent Internet users from viewing sites run by Falun Gong, human rights groups and some foreign news organizations.

Police monitor chat rooms and personal e-mail and erase online content considered undesirable. Internet portals have been warned they will be held responsible for sites they host.

Nevertheless, many users find ways to get around the blocks, said Duncan Clark, a technology analyst for consulting firm BDA China.

They often involve using "proxy servers" -- Web sites abroad that let users reach blocked sites. Such techniques are routinely posted online in China or exchanged in chat rooms.

"The restrictions only make people more creative," Clark said.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/tech/news/1560382