Chinese Media: Google is 'Totally Politicized'
Chinese state media is not impressed with Google's threats to leave China; on Saturday, an editorial from China Radio International declared that Google had abandoned its business principals in favor of becoming a political tool.
"It is a great pity that the Google case told us the company's aim of entering the Chinese market seems not for commercial reasons but to act as a tool to penetrate into the Chinese culture as well as into Chinese people's values," the editorial reads. "Google's actions show that the world's biggest search engine company has abandoned its business principles and instead shows the world a face that is totally politicized."
The article then points out the ties between Google and the U.S. government.
"Google's relations with the US government cannot be deeper … Four of the company's former executives including Sumit Agarwal, who was the product manager for Google Mobile team and is currently deputy assistant secretary of defense, are now serving the US government."
The author of the article, named only as Xu, goes on to say that while American politicians may be happy to see Google 'being politicized,' the situation is a tragedy for the multinational company. "How can people believe that the company's search results are without any bias when it lacks independence as well as business ethics?" Xu asks.
While the author concedes that leaving the Chinese market is Google's decision, he says the company is being arrogant in its attempts to have China uncensor search results.
"It is ridiculous and arrogant for an American company to attempt to change China's laws. The country doesn't need a politicized Google or Google's politics," the article concludes.
The editorial comes just as Google is expected to announce its plans to leave China. Last week, a report from China said Google would exit the Chinese market on April 10 but announce its decision today, March 22.
- VIDEO: Rolling Out HP's Flexible Display
- 5 Reasons Tablets Suck And You Won't Buy One
- XFX GeForce GTX 480, GTX 470 Pictures Leaked
- Lucky StarCraft II Beta Gamers Can Invite Friends
- ATI Catalyst 10.3 Drivers Offer Gaming Boosts
- Win7 XP Mode Drops Virtualization Hardware Need
- Sega Talks on Total War MMO, 3D
- Marvell Introduces $99 Tablet Aimed at Students
- World of LordCraft Rips Off Blizzard's Franchise?
- That's that: Google.cn Is No More
- Lionhead: Gaming Is Being Reborn on PC!
- BitDefender Takes Down Windows 64-bit Versions
- GeForce GTX 480 Poses Next to Radeon HD 5970
- Asus Debuts Rampage III Extreme Motherboard
- IE8 Losing Popularity Contest in EU Browser Ballot
- Report: Nvidia GTX 480 to Have Disabled Cores
- China: In the End, Google Will Be Biggest Loser
- Pirate Party Posts Manifesto Online
Yea, because that article wasn't written by the Chinese government... nope not at all...
Move along citizen.
Another brainwashed Chinese minion.
Censorship of key events in China's history is law? What a sad state then...
Right. i don't think google would leave a country that have more internet user than the US have CITIZEN (estimated). and a country that have more mobile phone user than the US and Canada CITIZEN combined. if they left this to baidu, bing, or other, they might chip away significant number of google market.
Google VS China WW3 >=D.... google wins they have google earth
Google can do what it wants, just like China makes up law that they want. If the two dont agree, then China can change there law, or say goodbye to google. Its their choice, China is just scared to make it. They are a bunch of pussies.
Yep, I'm sure the Chinese people really do value their government hiding the truth from them.
I'm at a loss for words for china.. To think someone(let alone 1+ billon!) would so willing stand idly by as what SHOULD be their freedoms is being with held.. Tsk Tsk.. It would be different if they didn't know better.. But to KNOW that we have such rights, and they don't? I find it hard to fathom why they tolerate it so.. :,(
Right. i don't think google would leave a country that have more internet user than the US have CITIZEN (estimated). and a country that have more mobile phone user than the US and Canada CITIZEN combined. if they left this to baidu, bing, or other, they might chip away significant number of google market.
Why did you 'all caps' something you typed incorrectly? Your comment gives me a headache.
You people are so ridiculous. Don't presume to know what the Chinese people think. Some of them don't like their government. Some of them do. It's their business.
I know people who say the same things about religion (blind faith and all that). When you're raised on something and that's all you know, you don't often think outside the box. Stop with all the idiotic presumptions about what's best for the Chinese/the entire world because you don't know.
The Chinese government is living in a self-created fantasy. The only way they feel they can continue to live in that fantasy it to make truth illegal and the fantasy legal.
Why do we even still do business with them?? Oh, right! They have a fantasy "President" who is really a dictator.
It's propaganda. I am from a former communist country and know this style of writing all too well. Thanks god those times are already over for us.
They mistake politicization for moral aptitude. China is such a tragedy...
Normally I would say a company should respect the laws of the country they operate in, but when the law is "hide the truth," I don't think it should be respected. A government that wants their citizenry to remain uneducated is morally bankrupt. I'm glad at least one company has decided to "politicize" the issue and take a stand, whether censorship was their real motivation or not.
I thought it was because hackers stole Google's source code and personal account information, which they and several other companies traced to China. I don't blame Google for pulling out at all.
Wait a minute - before we go down the China is evil route - let's look at what this article is saying.
Q. Did Google know about Chinese law when they entered the market (whether they like it or not is another matter)? Of course they did.
Q. Did Google get a lot of flak for complying? Yes they did and many people think rightly so.
Q. Did Google think - well maybe this isn't worth it - we need to get out? Fine.
The question is are you in or out. Stop politicizing the whole damn thing. Their procrastination is ensuring this thing stays in the media for political reasons not business. Were they misled? No they weren't. Do you want to do a deal with 'the devil' or not - 'the devil' cares not as long as you don't have your own agenda.
Yep, I'm sure the Chinese people really do value their government hiding the truth from them.
Hate to say it... but the US Government isn't exactly wearing white either. The only thing going for the US Government is that it admits that it's got history it's not proud, China on the other hand would rather take the blue pill
I wonder what would happen if a chinese company tried to teach Americans a moral lesson.
I'm not Chinese, but you Americans are clearly arrogant and egocentric. I guess no one is familiar with the term "culture relativity" ... and i'm not surprised considering some Americans don't even know where China is located. Wake up, Chinese culture is not worse or better it is just different, you must learn to accept it, the same way you had to learn to accept Afro-Americans having the same rights despite of their skin color.
And stop looking for "evil" outside of your country.
... and poor people still starve in America... Not like China can't use bing to find that out, but it really doesn't matter because they won't do anything about it anyway, they have our $$$, why would they give back out $ to us to feed our poor. Stop caring about what companies like Google & Countries like China are doing and donate some frakkin peanut butter!
It's propaganda and spin off,
made to make Google look bad, and that's exactly what communists do.
Google is not interested in politics its interested in human rights. There's a world of difference there. I approve of Google leaving a country that forces you to break human rights. It's the right thing to do.
Google isn't the one politicizing it. The reporters and goverment are. Google tried to do what china wanted, but their not miracle workers. So their packing up and leaving. It's reporters that are making this about politics. And they can't just say ok we're out in a day. Their trying to do right by their workers over there. Hell even businesses in the USA just don't pack up and move to another location it takes time.
Politics != culture. Ya, they can go hand in hand, but they are far from the same thing. It's funny how you people are trying to stick up for china. How can you. When there is no way of knowing what the Chinese people actually want. O and if you say you're chinese. Well I'm sure you don't speak for them all, and as the saying goes men are men, women are men, and kids are fbi on the internet.
I'm not saying our goverment is the best, as it's far from it. It's corrupt, and not about the American people no more. But we are still far better off then the chinese goverment when it comes to freedom of speech and things of that nature.
It's amazing how most of people started bashing China as soon as they finished reading this article. Personally, I would shut the hell up about a country's rights and wrongs if all of my knowledge about that country is merely from the media and the books i read. All im saying is: stop trying to decide for other people what's good for them!!!
I wonder what would happen if a chinese company tried to teach Americans a moral lesson.I'm not Chinese, but you Americans are clearly arrogant and egocentric. I guess no one is familiar with the term "culture relativity" ... and i'm not surprised considering some Americans don't even know where China is located. Wake up, Chinese culture is not worse or better it is just different, you must learn to accept it, the same way you had to learn to accept Afro-Americans having the same rights despite of their skin color. And stop looking for "evil" outside of your country.
Hm...this comment isn't full of hypocrisy at all.
Last time I checked, knowing the truth about anything wasn't "culturally relative". The truth is the truth, and else is a lie. Perhaps you prefer lies, but I certainly don't. Google should probably just leave instead of making a fuss, sure, but that doesn't make the Chinese government's methods of censorship any less wrong. Since when does censorship even fall in the same league as culture?
Why can't we look for "evil" outside of our country? Everyone seems to have a habit of finding it in us.
roflcopter China bitching about something showing a politicized face to the world? They can't even tell the world the truth when they have a natural disaster! China needs to learn to not take on things like Google in a pr war google will win!
Google is doing the right thing, it's not moral to do what China wants, obey it's "laws" which trample over human rights.
Google is doing what it can to "do no evil" like their motto states.
roflcopter China bitching about something showing a politicized face to the world? They can't even tell the world the truth when they have a natural disaster! China needs to learn to not take on things like Google in a pr war google will win!
But if you take a step back, are you obligated to tell everyone the minute you found out your basement was all chewed up by termites?
Jane McEntegart does not have anything else to report besides Google and China? It's getting a hell of a lot boring. Stick to hardware, Tom!
what do china, iran and cuba have in common? .... [ANSWER CENSORED] ....
Yep, I mean why shouldn't we speak when we know a country for the past 60 years or so has been what the Soviet Union was under Stalin. Seriously, are you from the Chinese Government?
I'm chinese but I'm in no way connected to the Chinese government. Just wanted to express a different perspective of looking at things. I'm not going to continue arguing 'coz this is already turning into a pissing contest.
I wonder what would happen if a chinese company tried to teach Americans a moral lesson.I'm not Chinese, but you Americans are clearly arrogant and egocentric. I guess no one is familiar with the term "culture relativity" ... and i'm not surprised considering some Americans don't even know where China is located. Wake up, Chinese culture is not worse or better it is just different, you must learn to accept it, the same way you had to learn to accept Afro-Americans having the same rights despite of their skin color. And stop looking for "evil" outside of your country.
This idea that everything is equal and not better or worse is garbage. No one would say that the ideals of Nazi Germany were equally as good as any other. That is not to say that the US governement or American culture is perfect, but it is a whole lot better than how other govermenments treat their citizens, including China. Companies should have a moral compass, just as individuals do, and Google is perfectly within their rights to say they hoped to improve access to information in China, but they no longer see any hope for that and so if they cannot be part of the solution at least they will no longer be part of the problem.
It is "ridiculous and arrogant" for a government to censor search results.
You people are so ridiculous. Don't presume to know what the Chinese people think. Some of them don't like their government. Some of them do. It's their business. I know people who say the same things about religion (blind faith and all that). When you're raised on something and that's all you know, you don't often think outside the box. Stop with all the idiotic presumptions about what's best for the Chinese/the entire world because you don't know.
Say that to the millions working in insalubrious factories in inhuman conditions for ridiculous salaries. That's what China is about. But it's important to know that the government is only there to keep things as they are, it's not really what is fueling those type of socio-commercial activities. International businesses and people who are buying their brands are the ones fueling it. Thing is, even by boycotting those products, does it really help the people from China? Not really. It's back to the government, who is the prime bastion to destroy if the tyranny is to be stopped.