http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/world/asia/14beijing.html?ref=world
Google’s Threat Echoed Everywhere, Except China
By ANDREW JACOBS, MIGUEL HELFT and JOHN MARKOFF
Published: January 13, 2010
Google alleged that it was attacked by Chinese hackers and prepared to stop providing services in China. Facing this challenge, the Chinese government did not compromise at all. Instead, the relevant news was strictly censored. However, this was not the only reason why Google wanted to quit China. As more and more sensitive topics were required to be banned by Chinese government, Google felt poor Internet freedom in China. As a result, it implicated that the market in China might be abandoned.
As far as I am concerned, regardless of the credibility of this, if Google really quits China, the aftermath will be mutually depressing. For Chinese government, although there are search engines like Baidu, Gougou and Sohu, it will lose the most powerful one if Google quits. In addition, services like Gmail.cn and Google earth will be terminated. For a country that holds more than 300 million netizens, this will definitely bring no benefit. As for Google, the consequence could be even worse. I think it is very unwise for Google to quit China unless Google cannot really recognize that China is a rising power in the world and some day it will become one of the most powerful countries in the world. The potential market may possibly bring enormous benefit. Quitting at this time is “out of date” action. Why not just learn from what Microsoft did to Chinese market? If Google want to develop in China, it should abide the laws in China without question. It is more or less naïve to treat China the same way as western countries for Google (Internet Freedom?), but I do agree that people have the rights to know things, and it would be better if Google can balance this leverage, here in China.
Hawk
I agree with you that there will be a remarkable loss to both Chinese netizens and Google company. Chinese netizens will not be able to use a undoubtedly powerful search engine. On the other hand, Google company will not only lose a market with huge potencial, but also be further away with their idea of providing international Internet service. It is surely out of date.
回复删除You have also suggested that it's better for Google to find a way of balancing Internet freedom and Internet censorship. Google company insists on their concept of Internet freedom. However China has reponded that foreign internet firms are welcome to do business in China according to the law. This may not be a easy problem to deal with.
It is definately that Google company will lose huge benefit if it quit China. But someone said that the reason that the google company wanted to stop providing service in China was not merely because of the strict censorship but also a kind of business threat.
回复删除In my own opinion, if the google company really abandon the market in China, China will lose some profit as well. Because many search engines in China depend on goole, Baidu, for instance. So these popular search engines will also be influenced and consequently, negative influence will be exerted on China.
Helen
Also, I strongly agree to the idea that it is quite unwise for google company to quit China and te reason is the unreasonable censorship brought by the Chinese government. As the rapid development of Chinese economy, the number of Chinese netizens are growing at an amazing speed. More and more international enterprises are trying to open the Chinese market and make their profit there since the market is obvious a huge and potentail one. Google needs to know that they have to obey to the rules rather than change the rules if they want to make money in Chines market. No matter what they do, it is impossible to change the rules. This reflection makes it quite clear.
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