Chinese on Mainland Express Regret, Anger at Google Move
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Young Chinese professionals working in Beijing's main IT hub expressed a mixture of regret, anger and surprise on Tuesday at Google's move to shut its mainland Chinese website and reroute searches to Hong Kong.
The government lost little time in warning Google [GOOG 557.50
-2.50 (-0.45%) 
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that its rejection of self-censorship has incensed the ruling Communist Party, wary of ceding any ground on freedoms for China's 384 million Internet users.But for many educated, and especially young, Chinese, Google has been a well-loved website, even if homegrown rival Baidu dominates the overall domestic market.
And many fear Google's move on its search engine could affect its other offerings, from email to online books.
"It's a regrettable decision," said Chen Wen, 28, who works in finance in Beijing's Zhongguancun IT district, where Google has its China headquarters.
"I think it was inevitable though. The government was never going to compromise on filtering," he added, as he walked past the Google offices. "China needs this company. It's a great loss for the country."
Google threatened on Jan. 12 to pull of China if it could not offer an uncensored version of its Google.cn search portal. On Monday, Google said it was rerouting users to the company's Hong Kong site, google.com.hk, putting the burden on Beijing to apply its own censorship filters to keep Chinese users from seeing banned images and words.
You Chuanbo, 25, said he foresaw an unhappy outcome now that Google had stopped censoring searches.
"That is not going to last long. The government will just end up blocking access to all of Google," added You, who works for a computer company and regularly uses Google, as well as Baidu.
At the Google offices, blinds were drawn on most of the windows, as workers scurried past a gaggle of reporters waiting outside in the morning chill, without talking.
A few employees peered out from behind the blinds to take pictures of the assembled groups of journalists.
One man walked up to the building to lay flowers at the Google sign in front of the office, saying simply: "I feel very sad". He declined to identify himself or say anymore, and walked quietly away.
Other passersby stopped to take pictures of the building using cameras on their mobile phones.
"I use Google in English every day for research," said IT engineer Wang Fei. "I need it for my job, and I'm worried about what's going to happen."
Reactions were more intense on the Internet, which has seen many passionate postings since the Google drama began some two months ago.
"Hong Kong is also Chinese territory. Hurry up and leave China once and for all!" wrote one reader on the website of the nationalist Global Times newspaper (www.huanqiu.com).
Others congratulated the company, or celebrated its move as a major salvo in a long-running war against government controls.
"Chinese netizens salute you Google. You are really brave," wrote blogger Tingting on the popular sina.com.cn portal.
Another blogger, Peng Deng, said in the end the government would only lose its battle with censorship.
"Online, everything is possible. There's no way the government's hackers can block the technology of billions of users.
i salute google!
this serve as a reminder to any govt including our own ruling regime that censorship or trying hard to filter what we netizens should read or should not read will result in more resentment and anger from its own citizens. normally only govt who try hard to retain its own power will result in clamping down or filtering the internet media.
shame on them!!
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A salute to Google.....
Now i hope some position get transferred to SG.
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Witamy
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says the person with hitler as avatar
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Brave move by google
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Yeah...stick it to the Man......
for ones at least a company is practicing what they preach and not give in to market share and profit......
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says the person with hitler as avatar
ppl make mistake mah. moreover hitler died liao mah. he pay for his mistake liao lor. give the dead man a kit kat.
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That is why i said, Dun mess with China, they are still very much communist minded.
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Originally posted by reyes:
ppl make mistake mah. moreover hitler died liao mah. he pay for his mistake liao lor. give the dead man a kit kat.
oh~ I tot our custom was to give money... their custom give kit kat de??? ahhh... ic... I hath learn something new tis day~~ -
Originally posted by angel7030:
That is why i said, Dun mess with China, they are still very much communist minded.
Do you know what they are discussing to come out with rubbish statement? -
Originally posted by Dondontan:
Do you know what they are discussing to come out with rubbish statement?
Give that hum a torpedo in the butt!! -
Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:
Give that hum a torpedo in the butt!!
It ran away so fast before anyone can plant that in it. -
Bravo Google,dont give in to Communist China,they sucks like bloody hell!!!!
And also,dont give in to our Lee government also if they demand the same thing from u,they are also Communist n sucks as well.
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Originally posted by Howlheje:
Bravo Google,dont give in to Communist China,they sucks like bloody hell!!!!
And also,dont give in to our Lee government also if they demand the same thing from u,they are also Communist n sucks as well.
Sing govt worse than communist china -
Yep, communist chinese stilll think they can control the media and the internet. They failed to know that thousands of VPN websites are already setup and Chinese are accessing facebook, youtube etc through this connections. They can block the offical channel to connect to outside world but they cannot control technology and the spirit for freedom and alternate views.
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Bravo to Google!
This will be a lesson for the Chinese government on similar issues
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Originally posted by Dondontan:
Do you know what they are discussing to come out with rubbish statement?
Do u know what i am talking about?? -
Originally posted by Mr Milo:
Bravo to Google!
This will be a lesson for the Chinese government on similar issues
The Chinese will turn it around one lah, no need to bravo so much, there are lots of search engines who are more than willing to take share in China lucrative markets, so what is google, i think this issue not only end up hurting China, but also Google, they also must learn to respect each country rules and regulations.This clearly tell the world, dun mess with china, tho economically there are open, but internally, they are still very much communist minded, and now especially with a record of billions of dollars invested by the west and asia into China, if China decided to close it gates again,...boomZzzzz...all can die liao.
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Originally posted by angel7030:
Do u know what i am talking about??
As usual you are pouring rubbish here not discussing. YOu are inviting people to expose your stupidity everyday. Seriously, I think you have severe mental diseases. -
eveyone also got mental mah, no mental die liao lor...talk also cannot...so selfish one...@%#$^^&^@#%^(*& pui
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Originally posted by angel7030:
eveyone also got mental mah, no mental die liao lor...talk also cannot...so selfish one...@%#$^^&^@#%^(*& pui
YOu are in no position to talk to us you don't understand English. YOu have no basic understanding of English. Go back to school to learn basic English.On second thought, a PIMP does not need English to work. YOu want to talk and discuss here go learn English. Stupid
YOu forte is misinterpreting. kee kee kee, stupid PIMP.
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Originally posted by angel7030:
The Chinese will turn it around one lah, no need to bravo so much, there are lots of search engines who are more than willing to take share in China lucrative markets, so what is google, i think this issue not only end up hurting China, but also Google, they also must learn to respect each country rules and regulations.This clearly tell the world, dun mess with china, tho economically there are open, but internally, they are still very much communist minded, and now especially with a record of billions of dollars invested by the west and asia into China, if China decided to close it gates again,...boomZzzzz...all can die liao.
Angel, it not abt the money or your simple notion abt rules and regulations of a country. Do u know that what PRC gover are filtering? In my company, local PRC staff dont even know of 1989 and historical truth of 1912 or 1949 are distorted. History cannot be distorted and must be presented in its truth. I agree that PRC may not be modernised enough but ppl must be given the factual turth of history so that they make their own decision or comments. -
Google must be real furious and has a case against the chinese government to act against its own commercial instincts
It is just that they do not have the "key" evidence against them, to proof they are really the culprit behind all the episonage
It is just like you know that guy is the murderer yet (the motive, reasons,etc), you are unable to prove it because there is no direct link to the murderer
i believe other serach engines in china must have suffered in silence
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I take my hats off google for making a stand.
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but then again, it could be a show or test
which means this squabble between Google and China is a gauge on the chinese government's response on such issues as China grows in influence and power
there will be more of such squabbles in future and it all depends on how the chinese government respond to them, having learned their lesson