From AP, via TheStar.com (link):
Google Inc. CEO Eric Schmidt defended the search engine’s co-operation with Chinese censorship as he announced Wednesday the creation of a Beijing research centre and unveiled a Chinese-language brand name.
Google is trying to raise its profile in China after waiting until January to launch its Chinese-language site Google.cn. Activists have criticized the company for blocking searches for material about Taiwan, Tibet, democracy and other sensitive issues on the site.
UPDATE: In a related story, CNet News reports (link):
Yahoo’s long-running defense of its Chinese operations, which have been criticized for close cooperation with the country’s police agencies, took an unusual twist this week in a confrontation at the company’s headquarters.
Julien Pain of Reporters Without Borders, a free speech advocacy organization, stopped by Yahoo’s San Jose, Calif., headquarters on Monday accompanied by a film crew from ABC World News Tonight. In a moment reminiscent of Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine,” Pain asked to meet with company executives–but Yahoo sent out its security guards instead.
See the video (link) RSF filmed in China of lawyer Mo Shaoping and the brother of imprisoned writer Li Zhi.
