It seems that the Chinese Government is stuck on saying NO to Blizzard. The Starcraft II trial activity scheduled for today at ChinaJoy has been banned by relevant authorities. It indicates an end to Starcraft II's first exhibition attempt at a large gaming expo in China.

The detailed reasons for the ban still remain unknown. The "Notice on Intensifying Management of Examination & Approval of Online Game Importation" issued by the General Administration of Press and Publication of PRC (GAPP) on July 1st, 2009 stipulates that "any foreign-made online game exhibition, demonstration, trade or promotion carried out at various game-related conferences, expos, fairs or celebrations held in China, shall be subject to the examination and approval by the General Administration of Press and Publication in accordance with the regulations concerning the examination and approval of online game importation. Those violating the regulations shall be suppressed according to law, and the host, organizer and related enterprises shall be investigated for responsibilities." So if Blizzard and NetEase want to showcase Starcraft II at ChinaJoy, they must first obtain prior approval from GAPP.

We actually happened to know NetEase was going to offer Starcraft II trial at ChinaJoy through some insiders, but there is no official confirmation from Blizzard or NetEase.

Nonetheless, our reporters present at ChinaJoy indeed found the booth prepared for Startcraft II by Blizzard and there were screens playing Starcraft II's opening cinematic at the expo. But the present NetEase staff said no Starcraft II trial will be offered at ChinaJoy.

Anyway, we will keep you updated if there is any progress, so please just stay tuned!