Google makes its strongest statements yet in an open blog post, stating it is no longer willing to censor searches within China and may pull out of the country.
Kai-Fu Lee, widely admired by Chinese youth and in its tech community, steps down as Google China head in a surprise move. Rumors say pressure from the Chinese government got to be too great.
Google.com, Gmail and other Google services experience widespread access issues across China. A Chinese official accuses Google of spreading obscene content a day later.
Google admits that its decision to launch Google.cn, a Chinese-censored version of Google.com, has damaged the company after a series of attacks from Web users.
Google China launches after Google hires Kai-Fu Lee from Microsoft to head up the venture. Miscrosoft sues Google, alleging that Lee will disclose Microsoft secrets to the competitor. The lawsuit is settled.