Google to 'bear consequences'

Chinese govt makes strongest statement following online search giant's threat

BEIJING - Google "will bear the consequences" if it stops censoring search results on its Chinese website, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on Friday.

The statement by Minister Li Yizhong at a press conference was the strongest one yet by the Chinese government over the issue since Jan 12, when the US-based Internet search giant threatened to pull out of China because of cyber attacks that it claimed originated from the country.