Beijing seeks to limit Google fallout

China sought to limit the political fallout from its stand-off with Google on Tuesday, calling it an individual commercial case. The foreign ministry denied Google's move to stop censoring its local Chinese search engine would have any broader implications, just hours after the State Council issued an angry response saying the company had violated written promises.

"I cannot see an impact on China-US relations unless someone wants to politicize that. I cannot see any impact on China's international image unless someone wants to make an issue of it," said Qin Gang, foreign ministry spokesman.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), a senior member of the House Foreign Relations Committee and the ranking Republican on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said Google's move was "a remarkable, and welcomed action, and an important boost of encouragement for millions of Chinese human rights activists and political and religious dissidents. Google's recent deliberations and decision are a blow against the cynical silence of so many when it comes to the Chinese government's human rights abuses--a blast of honesty and courage and a good example of responsible and principled corporate policy."

Rep. David Wu (D-OR), the first Chinese-American elected to serve in the House, said that the fact that Google followed through on its promise to stop censoring search results, is "absolutely commendable." He also said it "sets a business and moral example that other companies should follow. If Google can do it, so can a lot of other technology companies." Wu added that some other technology firms have told him privately "they want to do this." He declined, however, to name which firms he had talked to about the issue.

Center for Democracy and Technology President and CEO Leslie Harris praised Google's decision but said the next step in the saga is in the Chinese government's hands. "If China allows access to unfiltered search, it will be a substantial win for global Internet freedom and for the Chinese people," she said. "If China blocks access, it will finally make clear to the Chinese people who is pulling the levers of censorship in the country."