Though the last we heard, Google was nearing a compromise that would allow them to stop censoring their Google.cn results, the Financial Times is reporting that they are almost certainly going to close their Chinese search engine. Since their initial ultimatum in January, Google and China have traded vague statements about reaching a compromise, but, unsurprisingly, talks haven’t produced a mutually agreeable solution. [ Financial Times ] More

Google and China’s dirty laundry has been airing in public since mid-January when Google refused to continue censoring search results in the country. A resolution could be nearing though, with Google rumored to be pulling censorship this month. More

Cynics will likely say China’s forcing Motorola to include Bing search instead of Google in Chinese Android phones, due to the ongoing war o’ censorship with Google . Me? Well, Bing is the better search engine. Kidding! More

Uh, whoa . When we heard Google’s threatened pullout of China had prompted Motorola to seek out an alternative search provider for its China-bound handsets, we can’t say we were expecting a partnership with Microsoft to result. But here we are, staring at a press release announcing the Bing search and Maps will be the default on Moto’s Chinese Android phones starting in Q1 — and the partnership is described as “global,” so there’s a chance it could spread. That’s just one more slap in Google’s face from Moto, following the release of the Yahoo-powered AT&T Backflip — and another step away from the tight relationship that produced the Droid . And does this mean Motorola might yet build a Windows Phone 7 Series device, despite a very public commitment to Android

Japan may be famous for its bullet trains, but if China’s plans for a high-speed railway go forward, people could be zipping over from London to Beijing in under two days. The train would go on from Beijing to Singapore, and also connect to India and Pakistan, opening up the East to non-fliers. One of the senior consultants on the railway project, and also a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Wang Mengshu, said that they are “aiming for the trains to run almost as fast as aeroplanes,” and that with any luck, the railway should be “completed in a decade.” In addition to the London to Beijing plan, they’re also hoping to build railways from Beijing to Russia and Germany, connected with the European railway system. A third project that goes south from China, to Vietnam, Thailand, Burma and Malaysia has already started, with a deal struck between Burma and China that will see the Chinese paying for the Burmese line, with the Chinese able to tap into their lithium reserves—which they can then use in production of batteries.

This week’s New York Times Magazine looks at China’s human-flesh searches, a widespread practice in which “netizens” systematically track and harass individuals ranging from adulterers to corrupt local officials. But the searches tread a fine line between justice and revenge. To anyone familiar with 4chan , its hard to imagine internet vigilantes residing anywhere besides the darkest corners of the web. In China, however, human-flesh search engines are a common occurrence, occupying a central role in the nation’s internet culture. The human-flesh searches are “not just a search by humans but also a search for humans”—humans that have in some way incurred the wrath of the anonymous bulletin board mob. One target, in an act of undeniable cruelty, killed a kitten on video (she was publicly shamed and forced out of her job).

Hide wires, powerboards, your prized mini-figs—heck, even the droids the stormtroopers are still looking for, all in this tidy flatpacked AT-AT model from China. The company sends you all the materials needed to construct the AT-AT, but can’t promise protection from the rebel snowspeeders lurking nearby. It costs 55 Yuan, which is only $8, but that doesn’t include postage obviously. [ GeekCook via WalYou ]

With all the intrigue around China hacking Google and Google hacking back , it’s easy to overlook the real-world consequences of what further escalation might lead to. Specifically: Chinese researchers and scientists could see the plug pulled on their work process. A full 84% of Chinese scientists said that blocked access to Google would “somewhat or significantly” hamper their research, in a recent survey by Nature News . While there are alternative search engines like Baidu, none are nearly as effective at searching English-language sites or research papers as Google. Google Scholar, in particular, is an invaluable resource for tracking down academic papers. It’s an apt analogy from the unnamed scientist quoted above: research without Google really is like life without electricity

Joking they were not, when Google vowed to take down China . Ok, that’s not exactly what they said—but after refusing to launch two Android phones there mid-January , they’ve now pulled out of a developers event in Beijing. Following developer events at Macworld and MWC , they were scheduled to tour around Asia, visiting Hong Kong, Taiwan and Beijing with armfuls of Nexus Ones to give away. Really driving the point home, they’ve pulled out ahead of the event next week. Not launching Android phones from Motorola and Samsung is one thing, but no Nexus Ones? This could be the end of China’s censorship, for once and for all.

Even as US authorities are getting pretty damn sure who’s behind the high-level hacking attempts from the other month , and that they were launched from the Shanghai Jiaotong University and Lanxiang Vocational School, China’s all “Nuh uh, eff you guys.” I mean, that really is the essence of their rebuttal. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said that “Reports that these attacks came from Chinese schools are totally groundless and the accusation of Chinese government involvement is also irresponsible and driven by ulterior motives.” And that’s that, I’m sure . [ The Hill ]