China Renews Google’s License

Google has got its license to operate in China renewed. Xinhua quotes an unnamed official at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as saying that China had approved renewing the operating license of Beijing Guxiang Information Technology Co. Ltd., operator of Google’s China website. The Xinhua report makes a point of Google’s pledge in its renewal application to ‘abide by Chinese law’ and to ensure that it will provide ‘no law-breaking content as stipulated in the 57th statement in China’s regulations concerning telecommunications’. That is the bit that prohibits organizations and individuals from using the Internet to spread content that attempts to subvert state power, undermine national security, infringe on national reputation and interests, or that incites ethnic hatred and secession, transmits pornography or violence. So plenty of scope there for the running battle between Google and China to run and run.