Google Welcome in China If It Obeys Laws, State Media Says

Google, the world’s biggest search engine, is welcome to return to China as long as it complies with the nation’s laws and right to control the internet within its borders, the People’s Daily said.

The opinion piece in the state-run newspaper said the Alphabet Inc. unit’s 2010 withdrawal from China, when it complained about hacking and censorship, was a mistake that caused it to miss out on opportunities. It also made Google a politicized brand, a “tragedy” for the company, the newspaper said. The column, however, was later removed from both the People’s Daily website as well as its Facebook and Twitter feeds without explanation.