MIIT: Google issue will be handled properly
- Source: Global Times
- [18:02 March 12 2010]
- Comments
Li Yizhong, minister of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT)
China has the confidence to handle the Google issue properly, but it is the search engine giant' s freedom to stay or withdraw from the country, Li Yizhong, minister of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said Friday.
"China hopes Google will obey China's laws and regulations. As an influential international company like Google, doing something that goes against China's laws and regulations is neither responsible nor friendly. Google will have to bear all the consequences it brings if it insists on violating China's laws" , Li warned.
"If Google decides to stay in China, we welcome and it will help boost the development of the country's Internet industry," Li said. "The company is welcome to expand its business and market share in the country."
"If it decides to quit, we will follow our procedures," he said, adding that Google's quit, if it does so, will have no major influence on China's Internet market, which will continue its fast expansion momentum.
"China's Internet environment is open and administered in line with the country's laws. Now the country has about 384 million web users and more than 380 million websites" , Li reiterated.
Li made the remarks in response to a question about Google's threat withdraw from China at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress.
The company, which entered China in 2007, now accounts for more than 30 percent of the country's search engine market, according to the minister.
"I hope Google can abide by China's laws and regulations," he said. "It is irresponsible and unfriendly if Google insists in doing something that goes against China's laws and regulations, and it will have to bear the consequence for doing so."
The minister said China's Internet environment is open and administered in line with the country's laws. "Internet administration is not a special case in China as all countries regulate networks according to their own laws."
