China open to Google's advances

Hazel Rycroft  

CHINESE authorities have said that Google's Android operating system will not be blocked, as long as it follows China’s laws. There was speculation that Google, having delayed the release of the Android phone, would pull out completely from the Chinese market.

Google last week said it had postponed the launch in China of two mobile phones using Android, in an illustration of how its row with the government could affect its businesses beyond its China-based search engine. Similarly China seems to want to deal quietly with the Google dispute, so as not to discourage other large firms from investing in China.  

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology spokesman Zhu Hongren said, Beijing would not seek to stand in the way of Google's Android mobile phone platform in the Chinese market. "China's telecom market is open," he said.  

The official did not address whether Google services like its search engine or Google Maps could be blocked in China. But many Android phones come preloaded with such Google services and their launch in China could still be affected if those services were banned.  

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