Lately, China has been acting as if gaining access to its market is akin to making it into corporate heaven. And, frankly, given the way foreign corporations have been selling their souls to gain that access, China can be forgiven its God-like complex.
This is why I am so pleased that, after several years of soul searching, Google has finally found that there’s no profit in gaining the whole Chinese market but losing its own soul. Accordingly, instead of abiding by China’s censorship rules, Google decided to move its China-based search functions from the mainland to Hong Kong.
China was not amused. An official from its Internet bureau of the State Council Information Office denounced the move as a violation of the veritable oath of obedience Google signed four years ago:
We made patient and meticulous explanations on the questions Google raised … telling it we would still welcome its operation and development in China if it was willing to abide by Chinese laws… This is totally wrong. We’re uncompromisingly opposed to the politicization of commercial issues, and express our discontent and indignation to Google for its unreasonable accusations and conducts.
(China’s Xinhua News Agency)
Of course, regular readers know that no one has been a more ardent critic of Google (and other American corporations) for signing up for China’s Faustian bargain in the first place:
How odious and hypocritical that American corporations – after exploiting democratic freedoms to make their names and untold fortunes – are now collaborating with a totalitarian regime to deny people in the most populous country on earth similar democratic freedoms.
[Yahoo becomes China’s most-favored thought police, TIJ, September 12, 2005]
Google made a mockery of its motto: “Don’t Be Evil”… Was its corporate conscience, at long last, predicated upon a cost-benefit analysis for its own bottom line?
[Google adopts…motto of moral relativism, TIJ, January 26, 2006]
Therefore, truth be told, when Google announced a couple of months ago that it was having pangs of conscience about serving as China’s internet thought police, I expressed doubts that it would do the right thing:
It’s one thing to vow to stop doing business in China, but quite another actually stop – as Microsoft’s failure in this respect has demonstrated so poignantly… So hold your praise for Google.
[Google finds its own Chinese medicine hard to swallow, TIJ, January 19, 2010]
Which brings me to the rather curious dispensation Google seems to have won, despite this open and notorious role it’s now playing as a conscientious objector: On the one hand, this internet behemoth appears to have enough leverage over this totalitarian regime to withdraw its search functions with moral indignation. On the other hand, it’s continuing to market its other business, including phone and map services, with commercial fervor.
But God bless them if they can get away with it. However, all indications are that China was caught off guard because it never thought Google would cut its nose to spite its face. So the jury is still out on what China will do to punish it for its do-gooder defiance.
Frankly, it’s naive for Google to think that it will now be free to operate its other businesses without government interference. In fact, China is already giving Google a preview of troubles to come. Because yesterday, within 24 hours after the company established a detour for Chinese users to perform uncensored search through the Hong Kong portal, China had already mounted countermeasures to block that detour.
Even worse, reports are that Google is already hearing from its amoral investors who fear the continuing wrath of China could spell doom for the price of its stock.
So stay tuned….
Related commentaries:
Google finds its own Chinese medicine hard to swallow..,
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