"The Chinese government's legal management of the Internet is in line with international practice and is a sovereign act. According to international laws, foreign courts have no jurisdiction," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said.

According to media reports, the New York residents filed the suit claiming that some information they released online was screened by Baidu, China's largest search engine, and the Chinese government.

"The Chinese government encourages and supports the development of the Internet and ensures citizens' freedom of speech in accordance with the law," Jiang told a regular news briefing.