Google said today that it was 'business as usual' in China, after reports that the US Internet giant was stopping some local staff from working following its threat to pull out of the Asian country.
The statement came nearly a week after Google's shock announcement that it was considering abandoning its Chinese search engine, and could shut its China offices, over theft of its intellectual property by hackers.
'We gave our employees a holiday the day of the announcement so that we could run tests and scans internally to ensure that the network is safe and secure,' Google said. 'Google China employees are now back at work and it's business as usual,' it added.
Google has said it is no longer willing to bow to the communist country's army of Internet censors by filtering search results available on Google.cn, but is still seeking talks with the Chinese government on a solution.
The US has asked for an explanation from Beijing, and the State Department said today that a formal request would be made 'in the coming days'.
China has sought to damp down the controversy, saying the row will not affect Sino-US ties already frayed over a number of issues, from climate change to the value of the Chinese yuan and several trade disputes. But Beijing also insisted that Google must obey its laws.
A Chinese commerce ministry spokesman said on Friday that foreign firms should 'respect the laws, public interest, culture and traditions in host countries, and take on social responsibilities accordingly'.
