Google Denies Media Reports on Closure of China Site, Office

Hong Kong’s Chinese-language newspaper Sing Tao Daily reported Google has made the decision to close its China office, citing a mainland Chinese Web site sponsored by a government ministry.

Google earlier this week said it would no longer censor search results on its Web site in China and is considering shutting down Google.cn and closing its offices there. The company came to the decision after a “highly sophisticated” attack on its computer system and evidence that human-rights activists were targeted.

Today, Google is operating its business as usual in China and is still censoring search results on Google.cn, a spokeswoman, who declined to be identified, said. Its employees in China are still going to work, she said.

Sing Tao cited ccidcom.com, which is sponsored by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as saying employees at Google China would be paid six months’ salary as compensation.