clipped from: www.nzherald.co.nz 
BEIJING - China postponed a plan to require personal computer makers to supply internet-filtering software, retreating in the face of protests by Washington and Chinese web surfers just hours before it was due to take effect.
A two-sentence announcement by the government's Xinhua News Agency said regulators "will delay" the plan but gave no indication whether it might take effect later. It gave no other details.
American diplomats met earlier with Chinese officials to express concern about the plan.
Chinese authorities said Green Dam is needed to shield children from violent and obscene material online. But analysts who have reviewed the program say it also contains code to filter out material the government considers politically objectionable.
The Green Dam initiative coincides with a tightening of government controls on internet use.