China plays down Google dispute but U.S. concerned

China sought on Friday to play down a threat by Google to quit the country on hacking and censorship concerns, but the United States said it will formally express concern over the cyber attacks the Internet search giant said originated in China.

A spokesman for China's Commerce Ministry said there were many ways to resolve the Google issue, but repeated that all foreign companies, Google included, must abide by Chinese laws. "Any decision made by Google will not affect Sin-U.S. trade and economic relations, as the two sides have many ways to communicate and negotiate with each other," spokesman Yao Jian told a regular news briefing in Beijing. "We are confident about developing healthy trade and economic ties with the United States."

Yet the U.S. State Department said on Friday it will ask China to explain the attacks. "We will be issuing a formal demarche to the Chinese government in Beijing on this issue in the coming days, probably early next week," U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.