July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Good for Google
Editorial
Good for Google.
In the complex world of international relations, it's been difficult for nations unhappy with the Chinese government to influence it in any way. Take too firm a line, and you may be provoking trade sanctions or threats of military action against Taiwan.
U.S. governments since the era of Richard Nixon have struggled with the problem.
It's been much the same in the corporate world, with the international business community willing to look the other way in order to gain access to the enormous potential market that China represents. During the Cultural Revolution, some foreign business entities even took to carrying their own copies of Mao's "little red book" in order to advance their own economic agendas.
For governments, the threat of war was a factor. For big business, the threat of lost profits made the difference.
Until now.
This week, Google, which had disappointed the world's human rights community with its concessions to the Chinese government in 2006 to gain access to the market, took a stand.
After finding evidence of cyber attacks against itself and other international companies and even more evidence of Chinese hackers attempting to access the private e-mail of individuals involved in human rights activities, Google said enough is enough.
It's prepared to shut down its Google.cn operation and close its offices in the country if it cannot negotiate a new agreement with the government that meets international standards for free expression.
That's an impressive moral stance for any corporate entity to take: Doing the right thing even in the face of loss of potentially billions of dollars.
How will the Chinese government respond?
That's anyone's guess at this point. Saber rattling and repression won't help. Google has already made it clear it's prepared to walk away if the situation isn't improved. So there aren't many other courses of action available.
China can let Google go, acknowledging to the world that it has been caught breaking its promises and spying on its own people. Or it can chart a course toward becoming a serious member of the international community.
That's the choice Google has laid before it. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
In the complex world of international relations, it's been difficult for nations unhappy with the Chinese government to influence it in any way. Take too firm a line, and you may be provoking trade sanctions or threats of military action against Taiwan.
U.S. governments since the era of Richard Nixon have struggled with the problem.
It's been much the same in the corporate world, with the international business community willing to look the other way in order to gain access to the enormous potential market that China represents. During the Cultural Revolution, some foreign business entities even took to carrying their own copies of Mao's "little red book" in order to advance their own economic agendas.
For governments, the threat of war was a factor. For big business, the threat of lost profits made the difference.
Until now.
This week, Google, which had disappointed the world's human rights community with its concessions to the Chinese government in 2006 to gain access to the market, took a stand.
After finding evidence of cyber attacks against itself and other international companies and even more evidence of Chinese hackers attempting to access the private e-mail of individuals involved in human rights activities, Google said enough is enough.
It's prepared to shut down its Google.cn operation and close its offices in the country if it cannot negotiate a new agreement with the government that meets international standards for free expression.
That's an impressive moral stance for any corporate entity to take: Doing the right thing even in the face of loss of potentially billions of dollars.
How will the Chinese government respond?
That's anyone's guess at this point. Saber rattling and repression won't help. Google has already made it clear it's prepared to walk away if the situation isn't improved. So there aren't many other courses of action available.
China can let Google go, acknowledging to the world that it has been caught breaking its promises and spying on its own people. Or it can chart a course toward becoming a serious member of the international community.
That's the choice Google has laid before it. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
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