Sunday, March 21, 2010

Good Riddance! Google finally call it quit on April 1, 2010

By China Watcher

I have heard the good news from China State Information that Google will leave China on 1 April 2010, after issuing so many veil threats.

The arrogant US company plan to negotiate with a big nation like China is similar to its government thinking that it had the clout to pressure any damn body on earth, just like every US residents thinking they could do just to about anyone on this planet, just because they are living in a country “full of stripes”. I watched the movie. “Law abiding citizen” yesterday and I came across this arrogant judge who said that she can do almost everything because of her position. She was shot on the head after making the statement. This is exactly the same thinking carried by almost all US companies, particularly the human rights lover, Google.

A majority of netizens at a major Chinese daily seems to formulate the opinion that if Google wants to continue to do business in China, it should obey China's law.

Here are some of the comments:

1. Google thought it had the privilege to disobey the host country's law. All foreign companies doing business in a country have an unspoken duty to the host and its people, i.e. its code of conduct, responsibilities and compliance to procedures, rules and regulations, not least the laws of the country. China is not unreasonable to expect its laws to be followed to the letter. All other countries have regulatory procedures too. No matter who you are, how big you are, when you are in someone's house you respect his space and his rights. You seek permission and you just do not impose your views. That is manners.

2. In Italy, Google has also broken the law, and I know how disrespectful American companies and Americans themselves are. Something needs to be done to Google to make it adhere to countries' laws. Otherwise Google needs to be fined for its arrogance."

3. Each country has a different history and background. The laws and regulations in each country are different, especially for China, which has 1.3 billion in population. You shouldn't expect every country must be the same as USA. Any company that operates in the other countries must respect the law of those countries. If Google is not satisfied with China's rules, Google should leave China.

4. Google's business tactics, it's an all-out failure. Looks like Google's plan backfired. In trying to stir up Chinese netizens against their government, it has instead stirred up a lot more resentment against itself. Chinese people do care about freedom of expression, but not as much as they care about a perceived slight to their national sovereignty. A dose of American humility is long overdue. It comes down to one word: respect.

Yes, respect is the key word and sadly speaking, most US people especially the US Congressmen lacks this finesse and quality. The US strongly believe that its democratic values and its human right practices are a size that fit all for everyone on this earth and that if you are not, then you are not with them.

China is big enough to stand on its own two feet not like some Asian countries and it should not just blindly succumb to coercive pressure from a big bully like the US. Even a big country like the US can fall as demonstrated with the defeat of the mighty US military by the NAVIs in the movie, “AVATAR”.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

China firm in allowing Google to exit from its market

By China Watcher

I applaud the strong stand taken by the Chinese government in dealing with company that is conniving and sleeping with human rights activists in the name of business.

Here is the text from the Chinese media and obviously this type of news would not get published in the Western media.

It is up to Google to decide whether to withdraw from China or continue to stay, Li Yizhong, minister of industry and information technology, said Friday.
Li made the remarks in response to questions about Google's suspenseful "quiting China" claim at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual parliament session.
Google, the world's largest Internet search engine, said in January it was considering leaving China because of censoring requirements and alleged hacker attacks.
However, there had been no major actions or further comments from Google until its vice president Nicole Wong urged the U.S. Congress Wednesday in a hearing to put pressure on countries scrutinizing Internet contents, saying the company was firm in the decision to "stop censoring our search results for China" and that it was "prepared" to leave the country if that was the option.

"If Google decides to stay in China, we welcome and it will help boost the development of the country's Internet industry," Li said. "The company is welcome to expand its business and market share in the country."
"If it decides to quit, we will follow our procedures," he said, adding that Google's quit, if it does so, will have no major influence on China's Internet market, which will continue its fast expansion momentum.

The company, which entered China in 2007, now accounts for more than 30 percent of the country's search engine market, according to Li.

"I hope Google can abide by China's laws and regulations," he said. "It is irresponsible and unfriendly if Google insists in doing something that goes against China's laws and regulations, and it will have to bear the consequence for doing so."

The minister said China's Internet environment is open and administered in line with the country's laws. "Internet administration is not a special case in China as all countries regulate networks according to their own laws."

I believe the Chinese government is just being courteous and that they do not want to be seen as an aggressor which may prompt those human rights activists to lodge a report at the World Trade Organization for unfair trade practices or rules. If they leave on their own accord, it is their own will.

Bravo, China.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Google stop talking, Get out of China now

By China Watcher

If Google is sincere on its wishes to not allow the censoring of its filter results, then get of China and don’t talk so much. I think all Chinese people would be glad that they are really acting on their threat or threats. If they move out, we welcome it and it helps China to weed out those unscrupulous and insincere US corporate from the Chinese market.

I have always stated if the US companies refused to obey Chinese laws then moved out and stop trying to use excuses and delaying tactics to promote its stay in China. China does not welcome such companies. In fact, these companies need China more. If these companies want to succumb to the wish of its democratic activists then by all means “pack your bags” and get out of China. If I am given a say in the China’s Foreign Investment Committee, I would without hesitation issue a “deportation order” to Google telling them to ship out immediately for not subscribing to Chinese laws.

I am truly sad that a top Google executive of Chinese descent is willing to stoop so low to face a bunch of anti-China US lawmakers and informing them that the Internet giant is prepared to leave China if Beijing continues to censor its Web searches. China has already stated that it will NOT bend to the whims and fancies of a US corporate or to pacify them to stay. So why is Google still waiting. GET OUT NOW AND STOP MAKING NOISES. WE ARE FED UP!

Nicole Wong or whatever her name is should be labeled a “traitor” to the Chinese people by succumbing to Western ideologies and discarding her Chinese beliefs and cultural roots where throughout many age old governance practices that relied on the acceptance of changes but it must be gradual, controlled and within a code of laws to ensure that the nation is stable without affecting the livelihood of the 1.3 billion Chinese.

Google threatened in January to leave China over what it said were mid-December cyberattacks aimed at its source code and at the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists around the world. If they are so strong in its human rights BELIEF, then why do Google still continue to filter results on its Chinese search engine, Google.cn, and posted ads for dozens of positions in China, which has the world's largest number of online users at 384 million. They should be preparing to leave China.

With regards to the hundreds of employees that Google has hired, the Chinese authorities can easily request its local Internet companies like Baidu to absorb them. I was informed that there are already head hunters on the instructions of the local companies to tap those workers expected to be retrenched by Google.

If Google is not going to change its decision then why stay in China and issues more threats. It makes no sense.

A US Congresswoman correctly put it “we welcomed Google's commitment to stop censoring search results in China but, unfortunately Google has yet to follow through on and to stop self-censoring”. In other words, when do they execute its threat(s).

To make everyone happy, there is only one solution, PLEASE MOVE OUT NOW!