The Washington Post reports on Google’s status in China:
China renewed Google’s Internet license after it pledged to obey censorship laws and stop automatically switching mainland users to its unfiltered Hong Kong site, an official said Tuesday.
It was Beijing’s first public comment on its decision to allow Google to continue operating a China website following a public clash over censorship. The company closed its China search engine in March but still offers music and other services in China.
Google promised to “obey Chinese law” and avoid linking to material deemed a threat to national security or social stability, said Zhang Feng, director of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s Telecoms Development Department, at a news conference.
Zhang also cited Google’s planned “rectification and reform,” apparently a reference to the U.S. search giant’s commitment in its June 29 renewal application to stop switching users automatically to its Hong Kong search site.
