The row over internet censorship in China intensified at the weekend when Yahoo's Chinese partner called the US internet giant "reckless" for supporting Google in its standoff with Beijing over alleged cyber attacks.
Alibaba, Yahoo's partner in China, attacked it yesterday for its "reckless" support for rival Google. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal last week, a Yahoo spokeswoman said the firm stood "aligned" against the "deeply disturbing" attacks and violation of user privacy.
"Alibaba Group has communicated to Yahoo! that Yahoo's statement that it is 'aligned' with the position Google took last week was reckless given the lack of facts in evidence," Alibaba spokesman John Spelich said. "Alibaba doesn't share this view."
Yahoo owns around 40% of the Alibaba Group, which runs China's biggest online retailer, Taobao, and its largest e-commerce site, Alibaba.com. Yahoo sold its stake in the latter site late last year, but its stake in the group, acquired when it closed its own offices in China some years ago, remains a valuable asset. Yahoo's public relations team in the UK had not responded to the Guardian's queries at time of writing.
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