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The remarks were the latest words in a pivotal battle that could shape international business in the country and escalate tensions between the two governments.

In January, Google announced it would talk to the Chinese government about operating an unfiltered Chinese search engine there but that it "may well mean having to shut down google.cn, and potentially our offices in China."

The Mountain View, Calif.-based company was prompted in part by a cyber-attacks that it said originated from China. In the aftermath, top Google executives questioned whether to change its approach to the country.

"I hope Google can respect Chinese rules and regulations," said Li Yizhong, China's Minister of Industry and Information Technology. "If you insist on taking this action that violates Chinese laws, I repeat: You are unfriendly and irresponsible, and you yourself will have to bear the consequences."

The Chinese government mandates that search engines censor their results. In 2006, Google had expressed discomfort in filtering its Web site but reasoned that the increased access to information outweighed the cost of censorship.

But now, if Google can't reach a deal with the Chinese regulators, officials could pull the plug on the site.

According to a person familiar with the matter, the company is "99.9 percent" certain to shut down. But it would likely take time as it takes steps to protect local employees from retaliation by authorities.

U.S. officials said the Obama administration wouldn't get involved in the dispute, but are closely watching Google's negotiations with China, as the outcome could have a "significant" impact on U.S.-China relations.

"If the Google view prevails, that represents the expansion of information freedom," said a senior U.S. official. "If the Chinese view prevails, then that has commercial and policy implications for the long term."

In recent months, Beijing and Washington have battled over trade and foreign policy issues, President Barack Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama and new U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.