Vice-Foreign Minister He Yafei said yesterday that the Google case is just a law issue and shouldn't be "over-interpreted". "The Google case should not be linked with relations between the two governments and countries; otherwise, it's an over-interpretation," He told a press conference.

If foreign companies, including Google, encounter difficulties in China, they should seek solutions in accordance with Chinese law. The Chinese government is willing to offer help, he said.

The official said many countries have "Internet supervision" in place as it concerns national security, and "China is no exception".

"If foreign companies have different viewpoints, they should seek solutions according to the law," He added.

Last week, Google said it might abandon its Chinese search engine and possibly leave the country altogether over what it called a "highly sophisticated" attack by China-based hackers and state censorship.

Despite Chinese officials' repeated claims that the Google case is just a matter of law, analysts said the issue of whether the company should withdraw from China or not has already been "politicized".

"It has been politicized. It is not just a simple business issue," said Yuan Peng, head of US studies at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

He's remarks came just before US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a major policy speech on Internet freedom in Washington yesterday.