In a response to Google's motion to end Web censorship, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the country welcomes global Internet companies – as long as they obey Chinese law. "The Chinese government administers the Internet according to law and we have explicit stipulations over what content can be spread on the Internet," said Yu.
In what reeks of doublethink, Yu continued, "China's Internet is open, and the Chinese government encourages development of the Internet," and that "Chinese law proscribes any form of hacking activity." I'm not sure how one can outwardly acknowledge the presence of forced Web censorship, and then claim that the Internet is open.
It is still unclear whether Google will close its Chinese operation, but things don't bode well for the search giant. Commenting on the situation, Duncan Clark, chairman of BDA China, said "Google.cn is toast... Just keep pressing refresh on your browser and see what happens."