The Guardian has again been blocked in China, and this time it could be permanent.

This is the second time that the British newspaper’s website has been blocked in China. The first time was only for a day and there was no obvious reason for China to do so. This time, however, they have done so most likely in response to an investigative story about the wealth that China’s elite in politics and the military have in offshore accounts.

There have been ideas thrown around by Great Fire, who keep a close eye on Chinese censorship, that the first time The Guardian was blocked was simply a test, and that the Chinese government had had some warning about offshore account story coming out.

China doesn’t often censor the English media, since it’s the media outlets in the Chinese languages that are more of a threat, but they have blocked the New York Times website as well as Bloomberg in the past. Time will tell if the Guardian being blocked is permanent.

[via The Next Web, The Guardian]