If Google goes...

...then many "netizens" in China won't be happy.

As expected, there has been much written in today's media about the threat Google made late yesterday to pull out of China and its accusation that China had hacked into Google in an effort to gain access to the e-mail addresses of various Chinese citizens.

This Los Angeles Times report captures the general theme evident in reports I've read -- it's about time.

Of course, if you access the English-language Web site of CCTV, China's state-run broadcaster, you will see an entirely different story.

I doubt Google will remove itself from the lucrative and fast-growing China market. But its stance has won it admiration and some political ammunition across the globe.