Google Inc., one of the world"s most popular search engines and Internet advertisers, is denying claims from local media and blogs that it has already pulled its business from China according to reports from Reuters.
The search giant claimed last week that it was considering ceasing its presence in China after being the target of an attack on its network that resulted in theft of intellectual property, and that it would no longer be willing to filtering content on its Chinese language search engine, Google.cn, and will try to negotiate with the Chinese government to allow a legal and unfiltered search engine or pull out of the market entirely.
The announcement subsequently caught the attention of the majority of China"s population, with local blogs and media quoting "unnamed company insiders" claiming that Google has already made the decision to pull out of China.
Google stated on Sunday that it is still in the process of performing an internal audit of its network since the attacks began in mid-December. The search giant is also planning on holding talks with the Chinese government in the weeks ahead in an effort to rectify the issue.
Many analysts believe that if Google decides to remain in the Chinese market that it could lead to tighter regulations and restrictions.
The U.S. government is also issuing a diplomatic note to China, requesting an explanation for the attacks that originated from the Chinese government that have added strain on the relationship between the two countries, on top of existing issues with China"s trade protectionism, currency exchange rate, and U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
On Saturday, Yahoo was dragged into the growing tension after its Chinese partner Alibaba Group slammed its statements supporting Google.