Google delays cell phone debut in China

Google postponed its new mobile phone launch in China in a move linked to the company's threat to shut down its China-based operations, according to AP.

Leaving China would have serious repercussions on Google's bottom line, since China has the largest mobile phone market with 700 million customers and the largest online user base with 300 million Web subscribers.

China has said Google must continue to obey the country's restrictions--including censorship rules--to operate there.

Other technology firms have gotten pressure from the White House and some members of Congress to follow Google's lead and take a stand against China's restrictions.

Yahoo said last week it was "aligned" with Google's position, but Alibaba, the Chinese company that now owns the majority of Yahoo's China business, broke with that view, calling it "reckless."

Microsoft has no plans to pull out of China, Hillicon Valley has learned.

Google's China offices are still up and running, and a Google spokeswoman told the AP it is "business as usual."