10:07 pm HKT
Jan 12, 2010


CWSJ.com Voters Want Google to Stay

    • As a loyal Google user in mainland China, I would like Google to stay. My son is an internationa primary school student here and their science project and research are highly relied on international search engine such as google. I found that many websites have been banned in mainland China(facebook, Youtube, Blogspots etc. etc.) and I have less and less readable websites left nowadays. Economically China is developing so dramatically but I do believe our government should be more open-minded to allow us to receive different infromation from more channels. The cencorship is tightened recently in China which is not a good sign. Internet is a way to help more Chinese understand the rest part of the world and through internet a lot of lawsuits in China got final justice because of the power of media supervision. As a chinese, I love my country. I hope my country could encourage free speach and trust people's judgement. Thorough and transparent infromation will only make people wiser. Sorry English is not my native language, I may not be able to fully express my opinion. But I do hope Google could stay.

    • This is the Internet! What exactly does it mean by Google 'leaving' or 'staying in' China? A website in China can be blocked in China, and a website outside China can be accessed in China. The Chinese Internet sensors gets to decide on this. Google does NOT need to be IN CHINA to be accesible by people in CHINA. If they don't comply with Chinese rules,, they won't be accessible even if they are physically 'In China'.

      I found substantial amount of grand standing from Google on this publicity stunt.

    • You can always use google.COM, as I did a short time ago in China, which is different from google.CN. So what's the fuss about ending the censored google.CN? A lot of people seem to be confused. No google.CN doesn't mean no google in China.

    • What does it matter what Chinese people purportedly think? They are deprived by their government of access to most information that could form the basis of their own personal opinions. That is the main problem here! This story and Google's reasons behind it will most certainly not make the mainstream Chinese media, and they are more likely to be attacked. China does not want to play by global rules and standards and feels that it is big enough and important enough to set its own rules. Its high time, international companies start to shun this behavior.

    • Emma! Gogle.cn is what will be dropped. Google.com is always accessible, at least now, in the English language. its the Chinese language version we are talking about.

    • So a "vote" on your website in China that has restrictions that YOU ABIDE BY, CREATED by the communist authorities, says that google should go HAH! did you tilt the story any different over there on your website? hmmm a little underhanded question WSJ, poor form.

      something tells me that this thread might get placed on USA WSJ but maybe won't make it to China the same. This is exactly the point of why GOGGLE is threatening to leave CHINA! freedom of press affects opinion! Thats why China wants to control all media and control opinion. It is so unclear I wish you would dig a little bit more. Open debate is impossible when one side isn't even allowed the information.

    • If Google decides to pull out of China and shut down google.cn, surely the government will take that as a slap in the face and look at blocking google.com?

    • Baidu will be very happy to see that...

    • Baidu will be very happy to see that happen...

    • Google.cn will be gone. Google.com will stay. Many people taking their vote can't tell the difference, like the first poster Emma here. How easy to manipulate public opinion!

    • http://img.ly/mrO (Google Beijing Office) 假如一间铁屋子，是绝无窗户而万难破毁的 。。。

    • The Western media's spin machine at its best:

      If someone support Google's China exit, he's applauding the company's stand for human rights and democracy in China;
      if someone doesn't support Google's China exit, he's voicing his appreciation and longing for freedom of information and speech in China.

      In the end, no matter what position you take on Google, you're demonstrating your disagreement with the Chinese regime.

    • I have been google's user for more than 10 years. This morning I changed my internet home page from Google to Baidu. I hate google to politicalize their business decision to a political issue. It is just a search engine. Nothing to do with freedom of speech or information access.

    • google.cn should stay there, fighting with the evil for freedom...and of course for the possible profit in the future. Anyway, leaving is the worst thing.

    • If google leaves china, how many chinese people will lose their jobs and decent pay at a quality hi-tech firm like google. ths really is a shame for everyone. Why can't these governments hack each other and leave commercial businesses out of it.

    • I love chrome, but I hate the way google do this time. Business is business, it shouldn't be used politically, as a weapon to a country, that's not a wise idea. I think google should publish the details what those so called "human right activist" has done using Gmail, and did they threatened chinese people's safety and life in Xinjiang and Tibet. Since normally when people are against chinese government, western media will more likely to call them human right activist. If google can't publish the real story, do what you promised to do then. i think baidu and bing.cn will soon replace you.

    • Wow, it's hard for me to believe the level of mis-reading going on here. Google is talking about pulling there entire investment out of China, which generates around 300 million bucks a year. It's way more complicated than just being able to use a vpn to search for stuff on google.com.

      i think that there are mnc boardrooms all over the world applauding today. Lots of companies are fed up with censorship and corruption in China, but are afraid to do anything about it. Google is brave enough to risk loosing the China market. The question for me is will other companies follow suit? China's development isn't written in stone. If public opinion makes foreign involvement in China un-popular publicly, companies will start to write China off. Couple that with the fact that many companies are still basically lose-leading in China and a lot firms might decide that enough is enough.

      As a side note, how well do you think Chinese MNCs are going to do without access to reliable information from around the world. Many large firms, like Lenovo, have to set up operations in other developing countries to make sure they have corporate access to social networking and news-sites. Economies run on information!

    • To those who say Google shouldn't politicize it's business - well they normally don't. They are driven to it by political involvement by the Chinese govt in forcing them to censor their results, and the campaigns against them on the govt. sponsored CCTV. If we are left with paid-for-rankings by Baidu, or have to use a proxy to access google.com (worst case senario), I can still understand what Google has done. Best case - everyone starts using google.com and it stays open!

    • I'm a Chinese. I believe that Google.cn should leave China and fight against evil regime in China. And I think most Chinese Internet users support and understand Google no matter what it does. The Chinese Communist government cannot represent the 1.3 billion Chinese people despite that it always claims that it does. Hurrah for Google and shame for the Chinese government!

    • no comment, that is typical life in china ,in french
      c'est la vie en Chine

    • Google isn't exactly leaving so the entire "want Google to stay" thing is more or less make believe, Google.com has been available in China since 2000, Google.cn only came up in 2005, what were they doing between 2000 and 2005? Looks more like a business restructuring to me.

    • I dont understand why after being attacked you should surrender and go home crying to Mama. Stand up for your "rights" Google!

    • Google has been one of my favorites as a company. I like their products and I like their corporate culture of innovation.

      I don't yet have enough evidence to say that what Google did was out of principled grounds. I would rather suspend my judgment to watch how the event is unfolding.

      But having watched its corporate behaviors over the past, I can't help wondering if it has indeed mixed business with politics. I can't help asking "why withdrawing right now?" and "why not in the past?".

      Perhaps I am cynical, but I am wondering if Google may have found itself failing commercially in China and may have wanted to exit, but why not turning an embarrassing situation around and earning some political or social points? I don't have the full answer, but I keep wondering.

      In my opinion, I don't think what Google did was responsible or wise. If it genuinely wants to make a difference in China, it should have explored many options between staying in China as it has been and leaving China altogether. I don't think what it has done will have a positive impact other than giving some people a chance to vent: "See, we are teaching China a lesson." That has never been an effective way for change. It won't be this time either.

      I have lived and worked in the US for more than decade. I've seen the best and worst of Americans. As a Chinese, I have also seen the best and worst of being Chinese. Ironically the worst of the Americans or Chinese is the best of the Americans or Chinese carried to an extreme.

      I believe that the best way for change is to seek to understand each other and have open and productive dialogues, rather than trying to demonize each other.

      Over time I believe that the values of the two nations will converge, because fundamentally we share the same dreams and hopes even though they are expressed and articulated in different ways. Based on the shared values, each nation will contribute its own talents and strengths for the benefit of the world.

      That's what I believe the change is about, and the change the world is needed, and what Google should work toward with other responsible multinational companies and social and political organizations.

    • Google, be responsible for the Chinese google users, dont be irrational. Shame on you if you give up and leave.The one who laughs last laughs best

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