China sought on Friday to play down a threat by Google Inc to quit the country on hacking and censorship concerns, saying any decision by the Internet search giant would not affect U.S. trade ties.
Shiseido Co Ltd , Japan's largest cosmetics company, has agreed to buy U.S.-based Bare Escentuals for $1.7 billion, as it looks to speed up its expansion and break into a new part of the North American market.
The United States has backed Google's decision to no longer support China's censoring of Internet searches and said the issue was of considerable economic importance as well as involving free information flow.
Microsoft Corp has no plans to pull out of China, its chief executive said on Thursday, playing down concerns about recent cyber-attacks and censorship raised by rival Google Inc.
Recent sophisticated cyber attacks on Google Inc and other businesses exploited a previously unknown flaw in Microsoft Corp's Internet Explorer browser.
Google Inc's potential departure from China may not prompt others to follow suit, but its high-profile declaration could help shine a light on the business environment in the world's third-largest economy.
U.S. Internet giant Google has threatened to shut its China operations after cyber attacks emanating from the country, in response to which Beijing defended its censorship policies.
A senior Chinese official told companies to support the government's Internet controls on Thursday, suggesting scant room for compromise with Google after the company threatened to quit China over censorship and hacking.
Google Inc, involved in high-stakes brinkmanship with the Chinese government, might still seek ways to market other products in the country even if it quits its China search business.
China defended its extensive censorship and brushed aside hacking claims on Thursday, telling companies not to buck state control of the Internet after U.S. search giant Google threatened to quit the country.
Google Inc says it may be forced to leave China, but the search giant has room to compromise in its battle with Beijing, and both sides have reason to do so.
Rio Tinto , the world's second-biggest iron ore miner, beat its forecast for iron ore output, reflecting surging demand from Chinese steelmakers and setting the stage for tough contract price talks.
U.S. stock index futures pointed to a mixed open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.11 percent, Dow Jones futures unchanged and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.11 percent at 4 a.m. EST.
Asian shares rebounded on Thursday as fears receded that China's policy tightening would slow its demand, while strong Australian jobs data raised the chances of a February interest rate hike and boosted the Aussie dollar.
China told companies to back state control of the Internet on Thursday, showing no sign of giving ground on censorship after U.S. Internet giant Google threatened to quit the country.
U.S. Internet giant Google's threat to withdraw from China is generating an outpouring of nationalist fervor from the country's online community, with some cheering it as a victory for the Chinese.
Share markets in Asia rebounded on Thursday as worries that China's policy tightening would slow its demand receded, while strong Australian jobs data raised the chances of a February interest rate hike and boosted the Aussie dollar.
Gold prices advanced for the second successive day in Asian trade Thursday as the dollar remained under pressure. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $1143.45 an ounce at 11.15 a.m Singapore time while U.S. gold futures for February delivery were up 0.6 percent at $1,143.30 per ounce at the same time.
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A law firm representing a U.S. software maker that is suing China for code theft said it has been targeted by Chinese hackers, a day after Google Inc. threatened to withdraw from the country following similar attacks.
* WHAT: China's Q4 GDP growth* WHEN: Jan 21
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average gained 1 percent on Thursday, with tech shares up after their U.S. rivals gained and exporters also higher as worries about the negative impact of China's monetary tightening on its economy faded.
