Global Times “interviewed” me. Despite the assumption I would have 700 words, nearly all was dumped. Won’t respond to their interviews anymore.
Recent developments make us worried. It’s getting hard to defend China.
See here the full text.
The Google polemic – by Gilbert Van Kerckhove – for the Global Times
(original and edited version – only a tiny part to be published)
“It’s not so Google that’s withdrawing from China, it’s China that’s withdrawing from the world”.
The tone between China and the USA is becoming more confrontational.
China is trying to deflect criticism by demanding respect for its national laws and by playing the victim of repeated cyber attacks.
For people who believe in China and try to counter at least some of the unfounded media and political attacks, it is becoming a tough task.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, “Chinese Internet is open and China has tried creating a favorable environment for the Internet”.
This is a ridiculous statement that tarnishes China’s image, aspiring to become a leading economy through innovation, creativity and the continuous development of its industry and trade.
International security specialists point at indications in software codes and the purpose of the cyber attacks, such as trying to steal data (the recent news on U.S. oil companies that were “tapped”),  clamping down on dissidents, controlling journalists and on any “unwanted” information. Invoking the fight against pornography is seen as an excuse.
Google’s move is applauded by those who are tired of the Internet restrictions. Many websites, vital for business and research, are blocked, despite promises for the 2008 Olympics. Even SMS would be subject to censorship, a direct invasion of privacy. But little is done to stop the proliferation of junk messages offering fake invoices and real estate deals.
But the dispute brings into the open the rights of netizens and a debate on censorship.
By erecting the many barriers to the globalization of information, China is sterilizing the local Internet and shows insecurity and self-confidence, making China haters happy as it seems to prove their opinion. Clamping down on the Internet looks like advocating to ban all car traffic because it causes accidents and road deaths.
Said senior White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers:
“It seems to me that the principles that Google is trying to uphold are not just important in a moral or rights framework, but are also of very considerable economic importance,” He said that information flow is central as the economy on the mainland matures and transforms from industrial-based to more knowledge-based.
Liu Deliang, an internet law professor at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications:
“It is fair to say that the government’s control over the internet and the flow of information is way too strict, and the way authorities regulate cyberspace will have a negative impact on the people’s confidence in the political and legal systems.”
China has to make a choice to take up a responsible and confident leadership role or to decide if the country should be inward looking, losing out to the new Internet world. Favoring Chinese search engines will affect many serious business people and researchers. Google.com and some of its services (e.g. gmail) will still be available in China, unless China starts blocking them as it did with other services.
It is unlikely that other major U.S. companies will follow Google but they will need to review operations. The USA has strongly appealed to take a position in favor of an open Internet, as explained by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama. The issue does not need to be blown up as a massive anti-China strategy.
China should educate its netizens, combat hacking, cooperate with other countries on international cyber attacks, moderate biased nationalistic bloggers and curtail spam SMS.
In the West, a voice is coming up to make it a WTO case because China erects one more trade barrier through its Firewall.
Foreign chambers of commerce increasingly worry about trade protectionism in China. While China claims to suffer from trade protectionism it erects its trade and Intellectual Property Rights barriers to impede fair market access. The recent “Joint circular (Notice No. 618 – Ministry of Science and Technology, National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Finance), establishing an Indigenous Innovation Product Accreditation System” is a perfect example, among others like the encryption debate. China would be wrong to think only the USA is losing patience. Europeans could soon follow.
China can buy a radio station in the USA. And here? Foreigners face here many limitations while Chinese companies go abroad and invest in mining, carry out construction projects in a way foreign companies would never be allowed to in China.
Expect a backlash, rather sooner than later. Of course China will appeal to the “nationalistic feelings” of its citizens to get support.
I hope a solution can be worked out discreetly and calmly.