US holds fire in Google - China feud

U.S. government officials and business leaders were supportive but wary of taking sides in Google Inc.’s battle with China, a sign of the delicate tensions between the growing superpower and the West.
The White House said it would wait to comment until China responded to Google’s threat to bolt from China, over censorship and alleged cyber spying. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke called Google’s charge that it and dozens of companies were hacked “troubl
ing” and encouraged China “to work with Google and other U.S. companies to ensure a climate for secure commercial operations in the Chinese market.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Google’s allegations “raise very serious concerns and questions,” and that “we look to the Chinese government for an explanation.” But later, a State Department spokesman said the dispute was within “the range of issues” that normally define U.S.-China relations, adding that it “is a broad, it is a deep, it is an expanding and durable relationship.” Chinese government officials didn’t respond to Google’s provocative declaration, posted on its Web site Tuesday night. A report by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency quoted an official at China’s State Council Information Office saying authorities were seeking more information on the statement.
Still, Google’s move threatened to add to a growing list of disputes between the U.S. and China. Tensions have run high over the nation’s trade imbalance and China’s currency, as well as the push for a global climate-change agreement. This week, China tested a missile-defense system in a move widely viewed by Washington as a response to an expected U.S. weapons sale to Taiwan. U.S. and European officials have been trying to gauge China’s willingness to cooperate on a range of issues in coming months, especially the West’s push to secure United Nations Security Council backing for new economic sanctions on Iran aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear program
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