Remarks harmful to Sino-US ties

But the on-going war of words likely to prove a storm in a teacup

Even though the Google case is just a "commercial matter", as Chinese officials have insisted repeatedly over the past few days, commentators say the issue has created problems for bilateral ties between China and the United States.

There have been suggestions that animosity could grow in the months ahead, although other commentators think the difficulties created by the Google case will only cause problems for the relationship over the short term.