[JURIST] Yahoo! Inc. [corporate website] issued a statement [text] Monday supporting freedom of speech in China in anticipation of its Wednesday testimony [hearing agenda] before the human rights subcommittee [official website] of the US House Committee on International Relations. The company, along with Google [corporate website], Microsoft [corporate website] and Cisco [corporate website], has recently come under fire for cooperating with the Beijing government in efforts Setting out what it called "Our Beliefs as a Global Internet Company", Yahoo! said: The statement said:

Doing business in certain countries presents US companies with challenging and complex questions. We are deeply concerned by efforts of governments to restrict and control open access to information and communication. We also firmly believe the continued presence and engagement of companies like Yahoo! is a powerful force in promoting openness and reform.