Chinese web users boycott Google

While some gathered outside Google's head office in Beijing in support of its decision to end censorship, other Chinese citizens have expressed anger.

Comments left on Chinese website sina.com.cn include "Google, out of China" and "Go away, we have Baidu".

Internet and mobile company TOM Online, which is run by Hong Kong's wealthiest man Li Ka-shing, said that it would stop using Google.

The companies have an agreement which will not be renewed, claimed TOM.

A Google spokesperson insisted that the firm would fulfil existing contractual obligations.

"I think Chinese people are offended by Google's action," said BBC journalist Jasmin Gu, who is based in China.

"It has aroused nationalistic fervour. Many people choose to stop using Google and support Chinese search engine Baidu."

Google's decision to move its search facility to servers in Hong Kong, from which it can legally operate an unfiltered service, was branded "totally wrong" by a government official speaking to the country's official news agency Xinhua.

However some people on the mainland are pleased to be getting less restricted search results.

"I welcome the move and support Google because an uncensored search engine is something that I need," blogger Zhou Shuguang (who blogs as Zuola) told news agency AP.

Google has published a chart detailing which of its services are accessible in mainland China.

Latest results for 23 March suggest that YouTube and Blogger were completely blocked.

Google docs and photo tool Picasa were partially blocked but web search and images were running at full capacity, says the report.