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Mark Zuckerberg and China's internet regulator Lu Wei in California. The book is visible in lower right.

Beijing: A Chinese government news portal has released a photo of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg with a copy of Chinese President Xi Jinping's book on governance onhis desk while hosting a top internet regulator from China, known for tight censorship.

Mr Zuckerberg, who has long sought market access to China, where Facebook is blocked, was quoted by China.com.cn as saying he bought several copies of Mr Xi's book so he and colleagues could learn about "socialism with Chinese characteristics".

The California-based company did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the visit to Facebook's offices by internet regulator Lu Wei.

The gesture, interpreted as an effort by Mr Zuckerberg to court the government, disappointed and angered activists in China, who have long held the social networking company in high regard for its ability to share information beyond the controls of the ruling Communist Party.

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"Mr Zuckerberg is either ignorant of China's politics or shameless," said prominent dissident Hu Jia, who called Mr Lu a top enemy of internet freedom and expressed worry that technology giants such as Facebook were kowtowing to Beijing for their own business interests.

"He is an internet genius who should understand the power of technology for social change."

China.com.cn, controlled by China's Internet Information Office and another government agency, said the photo was taken at Facebook's Menlo Park office and that Mr Xi's book The Governance of China was at Mr Zuckerberg's workstation when he hosted Mr Lu.

"I bought this book for my colleagues as well," Mr Zuckerberg was quoted as telling Mr Lu.

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Zuckerberg's sop to socialism