Google takes an Asian tour but no Beijing

SEARCH GIANT Google has pulled out of an event to showcase its Nexus One Android smartphone to Chinese software developers.

According to Reuters, despite running an Asian tour that covers Hong Kong and Taiwan next week, Google will not be putting on a show in Beijing for its bespoke HTC smartphone.

According to anonymous sources in the report, Google it still concerned about its diplomatic tussle with China. "If Google did not have such an issue with the Chinese government, they would have conducted a similar event in China too," said the source. The same source also said that continuing brouhaha has made Google employees in China concerned about keeping their jobs.

Since announcing it wouldn't censor Google.cn after being hacked from somewhere deep in China, Google's relations with the Chinese Government has gone from bad to worse. Google threatened to pull its entire operations out of China, Android based mobiles were delayed and the Chinese Government launched its own series of verbal counterattacks and attempts to improve its image.

Google has its fingers in many Beijing pies and a raft of Chinese projects on the go. We think it highly unlikely it will pull all of its operations out of China. Once a face saving public declaration of peace is proclaimed it probably will be business as usual once again. µ