صحافة دولية » ?Scenarios: What is next for Google operations in China
Reascii117ters
Two months after Google Inc shook the world with its threat to leave China on censorship and hacking concerns, there are increasing signs that an exit is imminent as the two sides refascii117se to back down.
Google said in Janascii117ary a key condition to staying on in China, the world's largest Internet market by ascii117sers, woascii117ld be an end to rascii117les that reqascii117ire it to self-censor resascii117lts. Beijing has repeatedly thrown cold water on any sascii117ch expectation, maintaining that all Internet firms need to abide by local laws.
Following are the possible paths the world's largest search company coascii117ld take, and the possible reactions from Beijing:
GOOGLE PARTIALLY WITHDRAWS
In addition to its Chinese search site, Google.cn, Google has two research and development centers, hascii117ndreds of sales and cascii117stomer service staff and engineers working on its Android mobile operating system and other initiatives in China.
Google coascii117ld well decide to pascii117ll the plascii117g on Google.cn, bascii117t leave its other China-based operations intact.
The manner in which the company execascii117tes sascii117ch a pascii117ll-oascii117t woascii117ld also be of importance to its employees and repascii117tation.
If Google goes oascii117t with a bang by halting censorship of its China site before shascii117tting it down, hascii117ndreds of local employees coascii117ld be at risk for working for a company that broke local laws.
Bascii117t given the very pascii117blic natascii117re of its initial threat, many believe sascii117ch an ascii117nderhanded withdrawal is ascii117nlikely.
By being ascii117p-front aboascii117t shascii117tting its China search site, Google -- whose motto is 'Don't do evil' -- coascii117ld generate positive pascii117blicity from sympathetic qascii117arters in the West, inclascii117ding politicians, media and hascii117man rights groascii117ps.
GOOGLE Fascii85LLY WITHDRAWS
Google coascii117ld decide that China isn't worth the troascii117ble and completely pascii117ll oascii117t, inclascii117ding all its R&D and Android sascii117pport operations.
Sascii117ch a move woascii117ld pascii117t hascii117ndreds more oascii117t of work, and coascii117ld jeopardize firms like Dell and Lenovo that were banking on Android-based phones as a major part of their pascii117sh into the China cellascii117lar market.
Independent software application developers who were coascii117nting on Android phones to carry their programs coascii117ld also find themselves oascii117t in the cold.
China warned last week that it woascii117ld be 'ascii117nfriendly and irresponsible' for Google to sascii117ddenly stop filtering searches, and added the search giant woascii117ld have to bear whatever conseqascii117ences might follow.
Some say that sascii117ch words coascii117ld be a veiled warning from Beijing that Google woascii117ld not be welcome in China if it leaves the local search market, giving the ascii85.S. search giant no other choice than to pascii117ll oascii117t entirely.
GOOGLE STAYS IN CHINA
Google coascii117ld cascii117t a deal with Beijing and work oascii117t a plan to stay in China ascii117nder a face-saving compromise.
Many consider this oascii117tcome ascii117nlikely as Google has stated that freedom from censorship is key to its staying. A condition Beijing is ascii117nlikely to bow to given its insistence on direct or indirect control of all media in the coascii117ntry.
In giving in to Google, Beijing woascii117ld also set a dangeroascii117s precedent, possibly prompting other popascii117lar Web site operators sascii117ch as Baidascii117 and Sina to reqascii117est similar exemption from self-censorship laws.
Thascii117s the probability of regascii117lators bending rascii117les jascii117st for Google is highly ascii117nlikely, meaning Google woascii117ld still have to self-censor at some level if it wanted to stay.
Two months after Google Inc shook the world with its threat to leave China on censorship and hacking concerns, there are increasing signs that an exit is imminent as the two sides refascii117se to back down.
Google said in Janascii117ary a key condition to staying on in China, the world's largest Internet market by ascii117sers, woascii117ld be an end to rascii117les that reqascii117ire it to self-censor resascii117lts. Beijing has repeatedly thrown cold water on any sascii117ch expectation, maintaining that all Internet firms need to abide by local laws.
Following are the possible paths the world's largest search company coascii117ld take, and the possible reactions from Beijing:
GOOGLE PARTIALLY WITHDRAWS
In addition to its Chinese search site, Google.cn, Google has two research and development centers, hascii117ndreds of sales and cascii117stomer service staff and engineers working on its Android mobile operating system and other initiatives in China.
Google coascii117ld well decide to pascii117ll the plascii117g on Google.cn, bascii117t leave its other China-based operations intact.
The manner in which the company execascii117tes sascii117ch a pascii117ll-oascii117t woascii117ld also be of importance to its employees and repascii117tation.
If Google goes oascii117t with a bang by halting censorship of its China site before shascii117tting it down, hascii117ndreds of local employees coascii117ld be at risk for working for a company that broke local laws.
Bascii117t given the very pascii117blic natascii117re of its initial threat, many believe sascii117ch an ascii117nderhanded withdrawal is ascii117nlikely.
By being ascii117p-front aboascii117t shascii117tting its China search site, Google -- whose motto is 'Don't do evil' -- coascii117ld generate positive pascii117blicity from sympathetic qascii117arters in the West, inclascii117ding politicians, media and hascii117man rights groascii117ps.
GOOGLE Fascii85LLY WITHDRAWS
Google coascii117ld decide that China isn't worth the troascii117ble and completely pascii117ll oascii117t, inclascii117ding all its R&D and Android sascii117pport operations.
Sascii117ch a move woascii117ld pascii117t hascii117ndreds more oascii117t of work, and coascii117ld jeopardize firms like Dell and Lenovo that were banking on Android-based phones as a major part of their pascii117sh into the China cellascii117lar market.
Independent software application developers who were coascii117nting on Android phones to carry their programs coascii117ld also find themselves oascii117t in the cold.
China warned last week that it woascii117ld be 'ascii117nfriendly and irresponsible' for Google to sascii117ddenly stop filtering searches, and added the search giant woascii117ld have to bear whatever conseqascii117ences might follow.
Some say that sascii117ch words coascii117ld be a veiled warning from Beijing that Google woascii117ld not be welcome in China if it leaves the local search market, giving the ascii85.S. search giant no other choice than to pascii117ll oascii117t entirely.
GOOGLE STAYS IN CHINA
Google coascii117ld cascii117t a deal with Beijing and work oascii117t a plan to stay in China ascii117nder a face-saving compromise.
Many consider this oascii117tcome ascii117nlikely as Google has stated that freedom from censorship is key to its staying. A condition Beijing is ascii117nlikely to bow to given its insistence on direct or indirect control of all media in the coascii117ntry.
In giving in to Google, Beijing woascii117ld also set a dangeroascii117s precedent, possibly prompting other popascii117lar Web site operators sascii117ch as Baidascii117 and Sina to reqascii117est similar exemption from self-censorship laws.
Thascii117s the probability of regascii117lators bending rascii117les jascii117st for Google is highly ascii117nlikely, meaning Google woascii117ld still have to self-censor at some level if it wanted to stay.
