Government and Policy

Google to face consequence if it disobeys law

By Wang Xing (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-03-12 16:27
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Google must obey China's laws in its development in the country and be responsible for the consequences if it stops censoring in China, said a top official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Friday.

However, China is still supportive if the US search engine wants to expand its business in the country, said MIIT minister Li Yizhong at a press conference in Beijing.

The 65-year-old minister said Google has "done a good job" by taking up 30 percent of China's search engine market since it entered the country in 2007.

Li said China welcomed Google's staying in China, adding that it was "beneficial" to China's fast-growing Internet market.

But he also noted that China would respect Google's decision if it decides to pull out of the country. "Even if that happened, I believe China's Internet market will continue to grow rapidly."