Google changes mainland access

BEIJING - Google Inc will stop redirecting Chinese online users to its Hong Kong site in an attempt to renew its license for Google.cn, which is set to expire on Wednesday, the Internet search giant said on Tuesday.

The Chinese government has told US-based Google that re-routing users to Hong Kong is an "unacceptable" approach and said it would not renew its Internet Content Provider (ICP) license, said David Drummond, Google's chief legal officer.

The ICP license is a permit issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) to allow websites to operate in China. The authority has the right to shut down any website that fails to get an ICP license or have its license renewed, according to Chinese regulations.