Does Google mean it or not to leave China?

Google's defiance of Chinese internet censors obviously has had some political implications. Some Chinese netizens have asked why the company did not defy censors the time it first entered China several years ago when Chinese internet censors were stricter. Why did Google not defy the censors the time Chinese netizens objected to an internet filter Green Dam which was introduced last year? Why Google? Why now?

It is obviously not easy for Google to answer why it has defied Chinese internet censors at this time and has threatened to pull out of China, especially after it had met with senior Washington officials, following which the US government stepped in.

Let's examine carefully Google's statement on January 13. It never said it would not cooperate fully with the Chinese government. Google's CEO later said the company was still having negotiations with the Chinese government and did not rule out the possibility that it would continue its business in China.

That is so! Threatening not to cooperate implies it was trying to find a bargaining counter for a better cooperation. Just like apologizing to Chinese writers, Google did not admit its mistakes and take its due responsibility, but only tried to avoid lawsuits. After all, Google is a business company. What else can it do?

However, Google's tough stance on defying internet censors has put it in a more awkward situation. Following the praisal of the media, hails from the netizens, bebates between the governments, how can Google make its choices now?

By now, it is absolutely impossible for the Chinese government to concede on the internet censors issue. Does Google really mean it to pull out of China?

Someone has said that the Chinese market accounts for only 3 percent of Google's global profits. But is it true that the importance of the Chinese market does only worth US$1 billion? If Google quits the biggest internet market in the world, won't it worry that Baidu will further strengthen its English-language search service and enter overseas markets after it monopolizes the Chinese market?

Isn't such a thing really impossible? After all, Baidu is a business company, too.

(CRIENGLISH.com January 29, 2010)