Google promised not to provide 'lawbreaking content'

China confirmed July 11 that it renewed Google's license to operate after a months-long standoff over Internet censorship, saying the company has pledged not to provide "lawbreaking content."

Google said July 9 it had received approval to operate in the world's most populous country, after it agreed to stop automatically rerouting users of Google.cn to its site in Hong Kong, which is not subject to China's online censorship. Search requests at Google.cn from within mainland China will now require an extra click that then takes the user to the Hong Kong site. That small concession by Google comes as the company tries to uphold its anti-censorship principles while protecting its economic interests. Google wants to remain in China because its online advertising market has the potential to grow as high as $15 billion to $20 billion annually in just a few years. For its part, China seems to realize losing an industry giant like Google would set back its innovation efforts. Renewing Google's license also mutes a high-profile dispute at a time when American and European companies have said China has become a less friendly environment in which to do business.