China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology confirmed on July 9 that Google’s (GOOG.NASDAQ) operating license was renewed, Reuters reported. Although Google officials said on Friday that they expected the renewal to go smoothly, the announcement follows weeks of speculation that Beijing would use the license renewal as leverage against the internet search engine, with whom it has had prickly relations this year. Google’s China operator, Beijing Guxiang Information Technology Company, had pledged to "abide by Chinese law" to secure the license renewal. The government renewal documentation vaguely stated that approval came after "making improvements."
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