Commissioner concerned about China Internet policy

(BRUSSELS) - EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes expressed concern Thursday about Internet policy in China, as search giant Google threatens to pull out, underlining the importance of an open network.

On Tuesday, Google announced that it would stop bowing to Chinese Internet censors and could pull out of the world's largest online market of 360 million users.

It said the move was in protest against censorship and what it called "highly sophisticated" cyber attacks on its systems, which were aimed at Chinese human rights activists and believed to have originated in China.

"If proved, that case would be particularly worrying as a targeting of human rights activists in China and elsewhere in the world," Kroes told members of the European parliament.

It would constitute "a clear violation of fundamental rights like freedom of expression ... and freedom of opinion", she said at a hearing to assess her suitability to switch jobs and become commissioner in charge of new technologies.

Kroes said the Google case was "proof that the very high level of sophistication of cyber attacks is there", underscoring that it is "important for the commission to preserve the open and neutral character of the net."

China declared its Internet "open" Thursday but defended the censorship that prompted Google's threat to leave.