Monday, Mar 15, 2010    Text size: 

BEIJING — According to reports, Google China may shut down if the Chinese government and the search engine fail to come to an agreement on censorship.

The Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal reported that Google would likely close operations because Chinese authorities wouldn’t change Internet censorship rules.

The Chinese government also warned Google business partners to prepare in case they can’t use Google services.

According to InformationWeek.com, Google said it would stop censoring its search results in China, after a hacking attack that targeted human rights activists.

The Chinese government warned Google’s search partners that they must comply with censorship laws and make other plans in case Google does stop censoring search results.

If Google services are shut down, business partners such as Sina.com.cn and Ganji.com that offer a Google-powered search box would have to find a different partner, or filter the search results themselves to comply with Chinese regulations.

At a March 2 hearing on Internet freedom in Washington, D.C., assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) praised Google for its decision to stop censoring search results in China.

Last week, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology warned Google that it will face consequences if it fails to obey Chinese laws.

Google is considering ways to maintain Chinese operations even if it shuts down the Google China search site.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt said a resolution to the situation is coming soon.