Beijing: China says the dispute it is having with Internet giant Google should not be linked to its bilateral ties with the United States.
A report from the official Xinhua News Agency said on Thursday quoted Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei as saying that the rift with Google over online censorship and security should not be "over interpreted”.
Google says it will remain in China only if the government relents on rules requiring the censorship of content the ruling party considers subversive.
The ultimatum came last week after Google said it uncovered a computer attack that tried to plunder its software coding and the e-mail accounts of human rights activists protesting Chinese policies.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, January 21, 2010, 16:03