China said Friday that Google's threat to stop operating in the country would not affect Sino-US trade ties, after Washington pressed for an explanation of China-based cyberattacks on the Internet giant. However, China insisted that Google must obey its laws, after the company said it would no longer bow to the communist country's army of Internet censors by filtering search results available on google.cn. The US firm -- whose unofficial motto is "Don't Be Evil" -- said it could abandon its Chinese search engine, and perhaps shut its offices in the world's largest online market by users, over theft of its intellectual property. "No matter what decision Google makes, it will not affect overall trade and economic relations between China and the United States," commerce ministry spokesman Yao Jian told reporters.