The US government plans to ask China for a formal explanation regarding the cyberattacks against Google and other US companies, according to a State Department spokesman.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton had already hinted at such a move in a statement she released when Google first revealed the attacks. "We will be issuing a formal demarche to the Chinese government in Beijing on this issue in the coming days, probably early this week," AFP quoted State Department spokesman PJ Crowley as saying during a briefing on Friday.
Google's disclosure of attacks that are thought to involve more than 30 US companies set off a firestorm in the diplomatic and security communities this week, tapping into growing frustration over trade and China within the US government, according to the report. Google is also considering leaving China altogether unless it is allowed to offer an uncensored search engine.
For more on this story, see US plans formal complaint over Google attacks on CNET News.
