Beijing: Google, foreign firms must abide by Chinese laws

Beijng said Tuesday that all foreign businesses operating in China, including Google, must respect Chinese laws and customs.

Ma Zhaoxu, the foreign ministry spokesman told reporters in Beijing that he did not know whether Chinese officials had held talks with Google executives, after their announcement to pull out of China last week.

"The Chinese government encourages the development of the Internet," Ma said.

"Foreign firms in China should abide by China's laws and regulations, and respect China's public customs and traditions, and assume the corresponding social responsibilities, and of course Google is no exception."

When asked again about Google's own complaint that the search engine had been hacked from inside China, Ma said Chinese companies have also been hacked, adding that China resolutely opposes cyber-hacking.

People's Daily Online