[smokinjuan]

>I think it would have been a much stronger statement.

To who are they trying to make a statement? If to "the rest of the world" then your statement makes sense. However, if they're trying to make a statement to the Chinese population it's probably better that google demonstrates their services worth then pulls the plug.

[jacquesm]

If the Chinese population would figure very high in their book then they would have made the statement earlier, and that statement would have been in Chinese, not in English.

It is clearly intended for consumption by the rest of the world.