Official Chinese Media Lash Out at Google

A leading Chinese government newspaper lashed out at Google, saying the company's allegations of China-based hacking were a politically motivated attempt to spark new disputes between China and the US.

The People's Daily, the official mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, printed the editorial on the front page of its overseas edition Monday with the headline, "Google, What Do You Want?" It said the company's allegations last week were politically motivated with "a vicious intent of sparking new disputes concerning Internet security between China and the U.S." Google had said hackers in Jinan, the capital of China's eastern Shandong province, tried to hijack the Gmail accounts of senior U.S. officials and other people by tricking them into disclosing their passwords. "Google shouldn't engulf itself in the international political war as a tool for political gaming," said the commentary, written by editor Zhang Yixuan. If there is "any change in the international atmosphere, I am afraid Google will become a target to be sacrificed by politics, and also will be discarded by the market."