Google in China: strategically clever, morally pretentious
Google finally decided about the future of its Chinese search activities. Users visiting the mainland domain (Google.cn) are now being redirected to the Hong Kong domain (Google.com.hk). The reason being that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (中華人民共和國 香港特別行政區) doesn’t have the same filtering of search results requirements as the mainland authorities do.
The very likely next step is that Google.com.hk may be blocked in the mainland. And Google knows this very well: “We very much hope that the Chinese government respects our decision, though we are well aware that it could at any time block access to our services.”
This is where Google is strategically clever. The company will be able to say that it didn’t completely stop its mainland search activities by its own will; that the authorities blocked them. They will be able to pose as the unwilling victim (even if they knew exactly what would happen). Thus less questions will be asked about the attitude of a company which speaks as if it was morally superior and pretends to give lessons to a country’s government. It has to be noted that at the same time Google expects big profits from the sales of mobile phones based on its Android software in that same country.
China has a long tradition of strategic thinking and Google’s move will be recognised for what it is. Not more, not less.
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