Google clash can spur meeting of minds
- Source: Global Times
- [00:40 March 16 2010]
- Comments
With another flurry of Western news reports about Google's "99.9 percent" certainty of its closure in China, the odyssey of the Internet giant's dispute with China shows little sign of coming to an end.
At first glance, the spat appears to be a business issue about how a Western company can find its niche in the Chinese market.
But in essence, the incident lays bare the crucial issue of how the West should adapt and see the ever-changing China on the world stage.
The logic behind Google's threat to pull out of China typifies some Western stereotypes of the country.
The world's largest search engine, while seeking profit from the globe's fastest-growing economy, is placing itself on a moral high ground as if it is a hero fighting boldly for democracy and freedom.
And, not only has the dispute been made a political football by the US government, but it is also now cited as more evidence to illustrate how the newly powerful China displays "arrogance" and uses an "assertive" tone in defying Western nations.
Yet the logic of the Chinese government in tackling the Google dispute is much simpler.
As Premier Wen Jiabao stated during the concluding press conference of the "two sessions" Sunday, China will become a "fair playing ground" for foreign investors and will grant foreign companies "national treatment."
As an integrated part of the "national treatment," every enterprise operating in China, domestic or foreign, must abide by the Chinese law. Requiring companies to obey laws is also common practice all over the world, as shown by the recent incident in which the South Korean government warned Google over its unregulated mobile games content.
China's clear and consistent stance on the Google issue has nothing to do with "Chinese arrogance." Instead, it is Western arrogance that should be dispelled before any impasse over the negotiation can be broken and mutual understanding can be reached.
There is no denying that the dramatic changes seen in China's Internet can be partially attributed to Google's crucial presence in the country in the past five years.
But the Internet giant should keep in mind that for a populous and complicated nation like China, there are always things that cannot change and things that can change.
And when it comes to changes, only the Chinese people and government have the final say in setting the course and tempo. Any change in China will not be brought about by either Westerners' love or hatred, nor will China's government and people succumb to external pressure.
Google may leave or stay. But without current logic regarding China being discarded, it was inevitable that a clash like the current one would break out sooner or later.
Should the Google spat help to further a meeting of the minds and overcome Western arrogance, it may turn out to be a good thing for the world.
