Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Microsoft is a true friend of the Chinese

By China Watcher

Bill Gates, one of the co-founders of the very well known Microsoft, was criticized by the Western media for playing down the issue of Google exit from China. The philanthropist was probably referred by most people as a world’s entrepreneur who represents aggressive US capitalism that is not so appealing. He was praised for his ingenious inventions and ideas but is criticized for not supporting the Western initiated fights to free up the Internet society in China.

So it remains very clear that Google fight (with the undivided US government support) with the Chinese authorities is not about illegal intrusion on its servers, but more so to do with the unfettered availability of news, information and material which runs counter to the values of the Chinese people.

Gates disapproved of his rival's decision and insisted that agreeing to Beijing's demands was just part of doing business in the country. In an interview on ABC’s Good Morning America programme, he said "You've got to decide: do you want to obey the laws of the countries you're in or not? If not, you may not end up doing business there”. He also brushed aside accusations that Microsoft has been complicit in helping filter the web by saying that it was not an issue because any censorship could be circumvented with technical knowledge. "Chinese efforts to censor the internet have been very limited," he said. "It's easy to go around it, so I think keeping the internet thriving there is very important."

Last week, Microsoft chief executive, Steve Ballmer, bombarded Google by suggesting that the company had over-reacted in China. He said that people are always trying to break into other people's data and that there's always somebody trying to break into Microsoft. Ballmer also likened Microsoft's complicity in actively filtering internet content to the oil industry's decision to import oil from Saudi Arabia, despite the censorship that takes place there. "If the Chinese government gives us proper legal notice, we'll take that piece of information out of the Bing search engine," adding that even countries with "extreme" free speech laws, such as the US, exercised some censorship.

The direct censorship of news relating to Falun Gong religious group, Tibetan independence campaigners and Xinjiang’s East Turkestan is important to safeguard China’s security and ensuring that China does not fall apart like the former Soviet Union.

BBC and the Guardian, have always complained that their websites have been blocked in China but as Gates said that there is always a way around it and Chinese surfers are an ingenious lot and I believe that whatever the Chinese wants to read, they would be able to do so…. only that the Western ways of doing things might not be so appealing to them.

Thank you Microsoft, you are a true friend of the Chinese people, both in China and abroad.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Singapore’s Straits Times playing up the importance of Western influence

By China Watcher

It is not surprising to me anymore that a small nation state or a tiny blot in South East Asia is willing to go all the way to shoulder the US imperialist activities in this part of the region.

In a recent article published in its government controlled Straits Times, the writer tried to play up the importance of Google in the world. To him, Google is as powerful as a sovereign state. Huh! Really! Google is just another US company subjected to US laws and it a tool for the US to use in promoting its Western based style of freedom, cultures and brand of human rights.

Google has been trying to paint a negative light of China that it does not follow universal humanity rules. Most of the Chinese I met believe that Google is only trying to use its pullout as a leverage to negotiate for better censorship terms with the Chinese authorities. In the past weeks, China has stated very CLEARLY that any company who wants to operate in CHINA must RESPECT CHINESE LAWS. If that is not clear to the Western media, I would like to stress it one more time. FOREIGN COMPANIES MUST RESPECT CHINESE RULES. So why make a fuss out of it. If you do not want to play on that same set of rule, just get out, please don’t cry like a spoiled brat like Google. This is what I truly believe and there is not even a small piece of sympathy inside me for Google.

If Google is a defender of freedom and openness, why does it take them 3 years to do so? Why do they want to get into China in the first place? And what about succumbing to other countries censorship laws in Vietnam and Saudi Arabia? Western media did not play up this censorship issues in these countries but tend to highlight this when it comes to China. It is China bashing at its best and Western media has organized a concerted attack using this highly exaggerated issue. Most overseas Chinese and even local mainland Chinese is aware of this devious plan. I do not think Google is a genuine crusader but the writer would like its readers to believe him.

I tend to agree with Martin Jacques (the author of When China Rules The World) opinion that even a big company like Google cannot take on the Chinese government or for that matter, the Chinese people throughout the world and hope to win. Google will exit from the Chinese market and that will have an impact to its long term global ambitions. I would add that if a company cannot conquer the Chinese 1.3 billion market then it is not a global company and I wish to see Google as just that.

The writer did not mention that Google has failed to dominate the Internet search engine market. Baidu, a home grown company, has taken up 65% of the market consisting of 380 million online surfers. Other competitors are waiting earnestly in the wings to assume the vacuum in the event of a Google exit. There is no loss for the Chinese users.

China has already built up quite a fair bit of followers and its supporters since the Olympic Games and being the 3rd largest economy (to overtake Japan as the second largest in the next 2 years), China will continue to draw more support. The writer’s claim that China is hungry for international respect and recognition is highly debatable. China has invited the world’s leaders for the Olympic Games and the soon to be organized, World Expos in Shanghai and if the invitees do not turn up, there is no loss to China. What matters most is the ability to maintain its composure, pride and dignity of the Chinese people. The world’s overseas Chinese (except maybe some Singaporean and Hong Kong Chinese) is strongly supporting the Chinese government in its tiff with Google (which represent a Caucasian face). The important thing is that the Chinese should not sell its self governing right especially when a US based company is being strongly backed by a known superpower.

The writer said that the Chinese should regard Google as a significant player on the world stage and that it has the power to hurt like a nation state might. What a load of rubbish! The writer is clearly playing up to the tune of the West and is sulking up to Western influence. I like to state that GOOGLE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HURT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, MORE SO THE CHINESE PEOPLE. The writer a Chinese descendent should be ashamed. He is selling his soul to the West for a piece of action or perhaps, under instructions from the Singapore government.

Singapore has always been pro-Western or more specifically pro-US and China should realize by now that its positive overtures to strengthen military ties with this small republic has been put on the shelf whereas the highly publicized military links with US and the Commonwealth nations will remain as the core defensive structure in this part of the world. On a comparison basis, China has already developed military ties with Thailand, Cambodia and Myammar. Indonesia and Malaysia have also positively responded to a military dialogue with China. Singapore is the only country in South East Asia that is pursuing a US centered military pact. It is only keen to advance trade and business ties with the growing superpower in Asia and nothing else. That I believe China should take note.

In the event of an outbreak of hostilities between the US and China, I do hope China would know who its strategic partners and genuine friends are while devising a military warfare to defend its people.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

China should tell Google to pack its bag and leave China immediately

By China Watcher

It is not a game of being nice. Before Google does any damage to the security and business interest of the Chinese, the Chinese government should just tell Google to leave China immediately.

Google is trying to use whatever publicity in collaboration with its hordes of Western media particularly US owned to paint China in the negative light but this is not working for them. In fact, a large percentage of the overseas Chinese I met recently expressed its undivided support to the Chinese government for making a stand that if you operate in China – RESPECT CHINESE LAW otherwise SHIPPED OUT and DO IT QUIETLY.

I would like to share a comment from an oversea Chinese who aptly summarizes what many Chinese throughout the world would have expressed:

“ I question Google's Drummond going to CNBC to publicize its threat to leave China. I happened to see the show on that night and I was not particularly pleased at the jibes and poison barbs thrown at the Chinese government without even them having an opportunity to reply. Google seemed to have misjudgedthe public's mood when it - a business entity - tried to make the Chinese look bad by slandering it on global television. That must be the height of arrogance and hypocrisy. The immediate similarity that comes to mind is Steven Spielberg's pullout from his commitment to his contract prior to the launching of the Beijing Olympic games. It was a downright utterly contemptible move .. stabbing your benefactor in the back! I bet he has not lived that down even today. All said, these two incidents bear the hall marks of the US President's campaign of its bad cops while the President tries to play good cop. The US and Britain are just most despicable in this matter .. seen from people from the East.”

Saturday, January 16, 2010

The US government is behind the devious Google’s planned exit from China

By China Watcher

Yesterday, the US government (inclusive of the hated and nosy Congressmen) has demonstrated its true colors by coming from behind to support the Google THREAT to pullout from China. The Obama Administration has requested an explanation of the hacking activities of Google’s servers whereby, in actuality, only the names of 2 human rights activist accounts were lost and not much confidential data were leaked.

I applaud Microsoft for its upright and just opinion by commenting that that it is all a business game and that Google is merely crying like a “spoilt child” over the inability to dominate the Chinese search engine market after more than 3 years. Microsoft added that hacking of information is a “common phenomena” and it is up to the Internet operator to upgrade its security fix or infrastructure to deter hackers.

A corporate pullout from a lucrative market is really nothing for China but one which is fully backed by its own government, maybe, that is something. Or so they think? But the Chinese has never succumbed to Threats and Pressure especially from the West, more so from the US government.

A few more comments from online parties on the subject:

1. Google by right should leave China for a long time and please let Microsoft takes over the business in China since the Chinese needs time for adjustments to polish its skills further before a genuine fight with Google. Microsoft will certainly help China in all aspects to polish its skills and by that time Google wouldn't have any place in China and the Chinese should be able to export its advanced search engines to other countries in direct competition with Google. With commitments, I believe Skill and Knowledge can be acquired with others to hold you at ransoms.

2. Yes Google should leave China now that the USA State Dept., has made a big deal about their intention. Read the Chinese responses to this issue. I say to those who make a big deal of this that China will be happier if Google leaves.

3. Well done China! Don't let yourselves be dictated to in your internal affairs by a mere multinational corporation from the imperialist west. Do what is right and best for the interests of your people and don't succumb to their bankrupt and discredited right-wing anarchist, Neo-Liberal ideology. After all, how much does Google contribute to China's economy compared to how much China's economy contributes to Google.

4. Every country has it's own rules and regulations. Even taxes are different! If Google intends to do business in China, they are atleast follow their rules and regulation. If Google intends to business but NOT following their rules and regulations, that's ILLEGAL.Crying over cyberattacks and censorship is lame. Google is a large multinational corporate which its business its Internet search engine and advertisement. Cyberattacks are expected. All Internet servers are all attacked every day, every hour. What do Google expect? Censorship is applied everywhere in the World! Some countries censor child porn, some censor religious taboos, others have their software piracy censorship. It's just China happened to be reinforced heavier censorship. It's not like something Google search engines cannot afford to do.

5. Just alone India and China make up 2/3rds of the world's population, and counting in the Soviet Union, all Muslim nations, Latin American-Brazilian region and African countries, that would make Google's relevance to the world merely that of a minority stakeholder. Google had better toe the line before these 4 major forces decide Google is just a proxy of the certain Caucasian factions and should be shut out of their business models.

Let Google leave and set stricter rules if they beg to come back later. Support other friendly non -US corporate and companies. The US cannot be trusted.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Is it really a mixed type of view about Google exit from China?

By China Watcher

Most of the internet comments I read from Chinese citizens in China supported the Chinese government stand to impose restrictions on the Internet. But the Western media, as usual, published a few favorable comments supporting Google decision, in an attempt to sway public opinions. Washington Post went even further with its report that 80 million Chinese netizens would be angry from Google exit. Really? What they could do is to turn to Baidu, which is home-grown and liked by the majority of its 360 million netizens. This is the type of bias reporting which can irk your nerves.

Do you really think the West is so principled that their authorities do not retrieve information from its US-owned Internet and networking companies? I have come across articles revealing that the CIA and the FBI have illegally poke its “intelligence eyes” into Google private accounts in an effort to filter those with terrorist innuendos.

Provided below is a few interesting comments taken from an online news portal on the issue:

1. Google is OK with The US Government screening every single email that go through Google's server and listening to every phone call in US and else where, but he has problem with the Chinese looking into email of couple of their citizens. I guess the human-right champion operates on double standard.

2. Google is trying do another Steven Speilberg with misinformation and making the Chinese look bad. Google now has been roped in as part of the US and British campaign to villify the Chinese. They can't accept an independent China after that veto on sanctions against Iran. Only obedient boys like the Japanese under Koizumi and others before him, are considered good boys. Besides, Google is trying to divert public's attention from their major felony of digitizing of 80,000 Chinese books without permission from its authors. The US-Anglo governments are behind all these. No question about it.

3. Never heard of a bee who is finish with a flower, hahahha... The biggest flower of them all, too. Oh Please lah. China is OK without Google, but is Google OK without China?

4. The Chinese Government never pretend they are a nice guy. All the rules are already there well before Google was formed. So, Google went into China with its' eye wide open (Singapore famous leader quote). I am wondering why Google never inform people about they allow US Government to screen every single email that go through Google's server.

I am very happy that the Chinese government has not relented on Google’s threat. I also hope that they would place a moratorium of at least 3 years on Google if they intend to crawl back into the Chinese market.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The Chinese should just allow Google to leave

By China Watcher

Google Inc has just made a threat to pullout from China after hackers have accessed human rights activists’ e-mail accounts. In fact, the illegal retrieval of information was not the main discontentment from Google. The actual reason is that Google do not want to subscribe to Chinese censorship rules.

Chinese rules are meant for an orderly and consistent operation of a search engine and it is crafted to be compliance with domestic laws. Chinese laws are very clear and everyone knows that the forbidden topics which undermine the country’s security like discussion on Tibetan independence and the promotion of the banned spiritual movement, Falun Gong are not allowed. But why is there such a need to hold such discussion on Chinese domain? Isn’t the topics widely discussed outside of China of which most Chinese including overseas Chinese do not give so much prominence on this other than the Western media.

If Google’s latest strategic business plan cannot accommodate the domestic laws of the operating country, I would suggest they go away quietly and not make a fuss out of it.

China has over 350 million Web surfers which is still growing exponentially while its annual search revenue topped USD1 billion in 2009 and is expected to hit USD1.5 billion in 2010. This is a very huge and lucrative market and if Google do not want to play the right rules, the Chinese government should just allow them to leave.

Baidu and Sina, two Chinese owned companies, will obligingly complied with the rules but US companies like Microsoft and Yahoo somehow are doing so reluctantly as they have to respond to its hordes of interfering human rights organizations in its so-called “freedom” nation.

The Chinese government intention to keep pornography out of the hands of China's Youth, is a good move supported by parents and is in line with Asian traditions and customs to promote a healthy and caring society. And the West should not question the motive behind this worthwhile initiative.

Google Inc.'s pullout from China will not disrupt the country's Internet economy and its 30% share would easily be filled and shared between the few likely competitors like Baidu Inc, Netease.com Inc, Sohu.com Inc, and Tencent Holdings Ltd.

The threat by Google to pullout is seen as a ploy by the US based company to use this extra bargaining position in reaching an amicable agreement with the Chinese authorities on how to do so within the bounds of Chinese law. Should the Chinese government be accommodating the threat, more so from a US corporate, which has a reputation of overcharging its customers for its online advertisements?

I would also suggest that all Chinese technology companies who had tied-up with Google to quickly dissociate itself from depending too much on the US corporate who had turned out to be a human rights lover. SINA, one of China's largest Internet portals, will need to locate more trustworthy partners when it decided to sever its ties with Google.

Telecom operator China Mobile Ltd. (CHL) should consider developing its own smartphone processing system than relying on its collaboration with Google on the Android platform.

If Google realized its withdrawal threat within the next few days or months, the Chinese authorities should also seriously consider imposing a moratorium on Google, let say, for 3 years before allowing them back into the Chinese market if it intends to crawl back in the near future.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Full democracy will come to Hong Kong but at China’s pace

By China Watcher

Western media like AFP, Reuters have been reporting every new year concerning marching protest in Hong Kong with headlines like “thousands demand full democracy” (more like only 5,000) and way back in 2003 was even more pronounced like “Half a million on the street”. The news became a bit far fetched when the actual number was only 150,000. So much exaggeration was present that even a commoner will be able to see through the hidden and bias agenda of the Western media in siding with the pro-democracy supporters.

Hong Kong has been ruled by the British for over 100 years but there was no clamoring for full democracy but once it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, 13 years ago, it had become an annual affair seeking to pressure the Chinese government and the locally elected government or Legislative Council.

Even though half the Council is elected, the pro-democracy camp with the funding from mainly Western non governmental bodies are not satisfied until it achieved full democracy. It is amazing that some of the leaders who are behind the protest had actually fled to Canada, in the early 90s. Many of these PR residents of their adopted countries had started to move back to Hong Kong, knowing that the economic life is better than during the colonial times and that China has kept its promise to let Hong Kong remains self- governed, are the one asking for universal suffrage, and of course with the full backing of the Western “invisible forces”.

If you read the mainly Western news on the topic, the opinions from the Hong Kong people are one-sided, as the published ones are mainly from the pro-democracy camp. I couldn’t be bothered to read the prejudicial comments. A large majority of the people is silent on the issue and there were no comments coming from the pro-China camp who are more keen on economic issues and maintaining the competitive status of the self-autonomous island under the “one-country two systems”,

Democracy is promised in Hong Kong’s constitution, and the Chinese government had mentioned that in 2007 that the territory will only get to directly elect its leader in 2017 and its legislature until 2020. Anyway, 2017 is only 7 years from today.

What is the big fuss and isn’t the roadmap to full democracy clear enough?

Friday, January 1, 2010

Going into 2010

By China Watcher

It has been a great year which we had seen China’s growing world economic power and political influence amid Western continuous pressure to stifle its progress by insisting on a Yuan revaluation, trade protectionism and also, the demand to adopt the Western code of human right practices.

All these hiccups would not go away and is expected to be on the increase and worse still, there are certain Asian countries which allowed its societies to be totally subjected to Western culture and its way of life. The youths of today are exposed to lots of Western propaganda in the form of movies, books, literatures and of course, from the Net which are assimilated wholesale without any thoughts of it being good or bad.

China will continue to lead the challenge against Western ideology and its pressure to submit to a Western order of the day in the next few decades. The Western media had been largely responsible for painting a negative image of China and that is the reason this blog is born in the first place.

For the brand new year, I hope that China would be successful in curbing corruption practices and reduce it to a manageable level and also, to properly handle its worsening environment, both are by-products of a country trying to catch up with the West.

Happy New Year 2010!