Chinese sources
The Chinese press has revealed that Google will make an announcement that it is
leaving China on April 10. The leak comes from a sales person within Google who has not been identified
and his information has not been confirmed independently.
According to the China Business New Google would reveal its plans for its
China-based staff that day. Google, has a significant share of the search
market in China, announced in January that it no longer intended to censor
search results in that country and would consider leaving entirely.
The crisis was preciptated by an attacks on e-mail accounts belonging to human
rights activists, though it has not revealed the specific people behind them.
Chian has denied any involvement. After months of negotiations over whether it can run Google.cn with or without
restrictions, it seemed that Google was getting ready to make a
decision in the near-term future.
The Chinese government has reportedly warned Google business
partners to prepare for the day when they can't use Google services such
as a search bar on their Web sites. Earlier this week, Google confirmed
that it had received a letter purportedly signed by 27 advertising
partners in China that complained of a lack of communication on the part of
Google and demanded to know how they would be compensated if the company
withdrew from China.