Google Says It's Business as Usual in China
Updated: Monday, 18 Jan 2010, 6:51 AM CST
Published : Monday, 18 Jan 2010, 6:50 AM CST
(NewsCore) - Google said Monday it was business as usual in China, after reports that the U.S. internet giant was stopping some local staff from working following its threat to pull out of the Asian country.
The statement came nearly a week after Google's shock announcement it was considering abandoning its Chinese search engine, and could shut its China offices, over theft of its intellectual property by hackers.
"We gave our employees a holiday the day of the announcement so that we could run tests and scans internally to ensure that the network is safe and secure," Google said in an emailed reply to media inquiries.
"Google China employees are now back at work and it's business as usual."
Last week, the Beijing News reported that Google China engineers no longer had access to the company's global database and could no longer work, citing unnamed sources within the company.
The National Business Daily, also quoting unnamed company sources, said some employees were transferred to the Hong Kong office, while others remained in Beijing, but "basically have nothing to do."
Google said it is no longer willing to bow to the communist country's internet censors by filtering search results available on google.cn, but is still seeking talks with the Chinese government on a solution.
The U.S. has asked for an explanation from Beijing, and the State Department said Friday a formal request would be made "in the coming days."
"It will express our concern for this incident and request information from China as to an explanation of how it happened and what they plan to do about it," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters.
China sought to tamp down the controversy, saying the row will not affect Sino-U.S. ties already frayed over a number of issues, from climate change to the value of the Chinese yuan and several trade disputes.
Beijing also insisted Google must obey its laws.
A commerce ministry spokesman said Friday foreign firms should "respect the laws, public interest, culture and traditions in host countries, and take on social responsibilities accordingly
