Google looks likely to pull out of China

Talks between Google and China are still on-going but it seems that the search giant is ready to pull out of the country.

The censorship feud has been on-going since January, when Google issued a statement that it would not tolerate censorship of its search service in China.

Both parties have stood firm since, with China's Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Li Yizhong, saying last week that: "if you betray Chinese laws and regulations... it means that you are unfriendly, irresponsible, and you will have to pay the consequences."

Google isn't likely to fork out for what consequences Yizhong is alluding too, however, with the search giant saying to Reuters this week: "We've been very clear that we are no longer going to self-censor our search results."

Sinking the censor ship

Also speaking to Reuters, Mark Natkin, Managing Director of Marbridge Consulting, explained his though, noting: "Our forecast has always remained firm that once Google announced it would not accept censorship, then it was nearly impossible to imagine a scenario either where Google didn't act on that or the government accepted their position."

Google hasn't announced outright it is ditching China. Instead it has issued a statement saying: "We are in active discussions with the Chinese government, but we are not going to engage in a running commentary about those conversations."

Unless Google or China blink first – and we know that's not going to happen – then all signs point to a less-than amicable split.

Via Reuters