Government and Policy

China doesn't need a politicized Google

By Zhang Jiawei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-03-20 20:15

Google's actions show that the world's biggest search engine company has abandoned its business principles and instead shows the world a face that is totally politicized.

First, it claims without any evidence that the Chinese government has supported hackers' attacks against it. Then it threatened to pull out of the Chinese market if the government doesn't compromise on Internet regulations. Finally, American politicians and government institutions spoke up to back the company up and show the world a slapstick comedy, said a commentary by Xinhua News Agency.

As a hi-tech company famous for its innovation, Google's deviation from the principle that the business world has long been sticking to and its politicized actions make people can't help but doubt whether the firm is still doing business independently and what its backers really want.

Having been in operation for four years with a very nice Chinese name, "Guge," Google must know that it should abide by laws and regulations in each country if it wants to do business there. Only by doing this can it become localized and win good market share as well as gain profits.

No country will allow information about subversion, separation, racialism and terrorism to circulate in it through the Internet. Sovereignty and borders also exist in cyberspace, which will need to be watched by each country's laws and regulations.

It is a great pity that the Google case told us the company's aim of entering the Chinese market seems not for commercial reasons but to act as a tool to penetrate into the Chinese culture as well as into Chinese people's values.

Google's relations with the US government cannot be deeper. US media has said Google was the fourth-largest supporter of Barack Obama in his election campaign. Four of the company's former executives including Sumit Agarwal, who was the product manager for Google Mobile team and is currently deputy assistant secretary of defense, are now serving the US government.

American politicians may be glad to see Google being politicized but this is no doubt a tragedy for a famous multinational company which has gained its reputation and advantages by one innovation after another in the Internet field.

How can people believe that the company's search results are without any bias when it lacks independence as well as business ethics?

China's openness to the world is widely seen. China will also make every effort to perfect its regulations on the Internet, but this is the country's internal affair, as it is in other countries.

To stay or to leave, that is Google's decision. China's Internet market with 400 million users can only and will grow stronger.

Maybe Google is preparing to retreat, and maybe it is still hesitating. But one thing is clear: China won't let its regulations or laws bend to any companies' threats.

It is ridiculous and arrogant for an American company to attempt to change China's laws. The country doesn't need a politicized Google or Google's politics.