• Countries or individuals that engage in cyber attacks should face consequences and international condemnation. In an interconnected world, an attack on one nation’s networks can be an attack on all.
• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • In a speech she plans to give this morning on China’s reported hacking of companies like Google. Clinton reportedly also will bring up concerns specifically about the Google attack. China, for its part, says the attack shouldn’t be overstated. source

• 10.7% growth in its GDP in 4Q ’09 alone source

• Well, that #(&(@&@ sucks. Screw them. China, currently kings of the sassy-kid-talkin’ “I do what I want” bandwagon, are forcing phone companies in the country to censor text messages with “illegal or unhealthy content,” mostly by suspending service to unwitting dirty-joke-makers. Just to make sure China blocks this post after we put it up:

china tiananmen square human rights porn sex sex censorship communism google xxx sexual content pornography tibet dalai lama playboy china tiananmen square human rights porn sex sex censorship communism google xxx sexual content pornography tibet dalai lamachina tiananmen square human rights porn sex sex censorship communism google xxx sexual content pornography tibet dalai lama

• There, that should do it. source

• They’re treating it as a foreign policy issue, not a business issue. Next week, in response to Google’s claims of a cyber-attack by China, the U.S. plans to submit a formal protest, according to the State Department. Among other things to note about the story: Google briefed the U.S. before posting its lengthy note (to no objections), and China has had a number of little annoyances like this from the U.S. of late. We just enjoy ticking the Chinese off with our talk of “free speech,” apparently. source

• The Chinese government administers the Internet according to law and we have explicit stipulations over what content can be spread on the Internet.
• Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu • In a general comment on Internet censorship clearly targeting Google’s bold push to stop censorship on the Internet in China. Another Chinese official, Wang Chen, director of the State Council Information Office, had this to say about the matter: “Effective guidance of public opinion on the Internet is an important way of protecting the security of online information.” Doesn’t sound like China’s willing to bend. source

• The problem is not the materials or the staff, but how to get it into place. The challenge is how to get our people and our resources into Port-au-Prince.
• Doctors Without Borders emergency management expert Paul McPhun • On the logistical nightmare that is the Haiti earthquake. Many countries are trying to get their gear and people into place, including the U.S. and China. But with a death toll possibly in the hundreds of thousands, this could be really tough even for established countries to tackle. Our fingers are crossed for Haiti. Tightly. Oh yeah, the United States’ special envoy to Haiti is Bill Clinton, and he’s on his A game today. source

• +10% increase in Baidu’s stock this morning; they stand to benefit most from Google’s China pullout
• -1% decrease in Google’s stock this morning, after posting about the pullout decision last night source

• china The country, known for limiting free speech as well as economic power, was apparently behind a large cyber-attack that hit Google and many other companies, and tried to access sensitive information about human rights activists.
• google They noticed the hack, did their research and found the hack went far beyond them. They’re uncensoring their search results and considering leaving China altogether. Pardon our French, but this is fucking massive. source

• 17.7% increase in Chinese exports in December – giving China a leg-up on the Germans
• 13.9% decrease in overall imports and exports in 2009; so it’s not all massive growth for China source

• 30 people were injured in an acid attack aimed at tourists last night
• four similar attacks took place in Hong Kong in recent months source