Google and China: Sovereignty VS Freedom of Speech

Google moves out from China since earlier January this year was a biggest step taken by the largest internet search engine in the world to express dissatisfaction over the China rules on censorship to its google.cn. A dispute blown up when Google found its Chinese user from the human right activists was attacked by determined hackers accused to be sponsored by Chinese government, shown the illegal intimidation to Google site. As a simple way of showing unprecedented disgust and outrage of situation occurred, Google jolted to Chinese government to plan a complete withdrawal of Google operation from China. In fact, recently Google delayed the planned China launch of two phones that use its Android operating system, which is a great signal that Google may retreat from its endeavour to pursuit in China cell phone market. The decision as well is an effort presenting the Google commitment to promote freedom of speech in this country as some called as Authoritarian country and to urge the Communist government to loosen up its rigidity and strictness over the public access of information. Google inc. Chief Executive Eric Schmidt recently talked in Davos, the World Economic Forum, about the Google firm’s stand on its decision to leaving China if the rules upon its internet access through Google search engine remain restricted.

However, this action has received different views on whether the plan taken by Google was an effective way to frighten or pressure the “Dragon” to pull back its decision on censorship over its search engine or it is a fool step that can, in turn, causing a huge loses for Google to take advantage over China big market on the one hand, and mounting up the clashes between U.S and China that are inherited from series of dispute over recently disagreement on China’s role on climate change control in Copenhagen, and tensions over trade and economic issues like China’s currency, on the other hand. These views have their strong argument over the Google’s decision but I would rather believe respecting the country rules and regulation and its socio-political environment is a symbol of respect to the country’s sovereignty within their perspective. The pluralist of culture and acceptation of liberalism indoctrinate in U.S culture could not be put as a standard benchmark over the other practices outside the U.S. Anything that goes parallel to U.S culture is recognised as a symbol of democratic and liberalism that protecting human right, while others that against it would be alleged to be authoritarianism and oppression to human right and freedom. This idea is totally unacceptable and a direct intimidation over the country’s sovereignty in which is even a bigger sin than the intimidation over the Google mailbox. It is an obligation to any visitors to understand the culture and socio-belief of the place they plan to visit. If they think their coming to that place is to earning some benefits from there, they should, at first place accepting the differences over the culture that others have from their homeland and on the top of it respecting it. There might be reasons why China meticulously controlling all of these open-media from disseminating any info to public. Among the main reason which I could assume is for public security and preserving Chinese culture that is highly connected to political and economic stability in China. As China’s rocketing global status nowadays, the Dragon is likely under scrutiny from the world. Any silly steps taken would rather ransack their status and thus allowing others along the rivals to supersede them. Thus, they craft a meticulous national development schedules to maintain positive growth and as well to retain market beliefs from outsiders.

The control of media from one perspective is a good action to maintain stability. In fact, the opponents would always utilize these rapidly changing technology to pesticide their belief and create chaos and wavering environment into their rival with the propagation of notion “freedom of speech”. The national problem which should be resolve within the nation can be played as a global issue through media. If country do not pre-empt it through controlling and inspection of all sources coming in, it would rather allow unnecessary false information to be spread in public and yet fuelling up unnecessary social tension and riot in the country. Free speech is subject to reasonable restriction for such purposes as maintaining public order, decency and morality. As Google broadens its reach, it must increasingly tweak the way it operates to suit new culture.

The dissent over the treatment of Chinese government to foreign business in one side is undisputable. Some accused China for purposefully inconsistent and non-transparent enforcement of regulation, state’s penetration to the multinationals through union and Communist party organization, unfair treatment for foreign business especially through its politicized courts and agencies, creative and selective enforcement of WTO requirements and many others more. Despite so many accusations forwarded, China economy remains stable and consecutively increases its growth and as well its world market domination. Why is that so? Their lifestyle and moral values upheld in Business and any others activities are receiving deep respect and salute for their hard-earned success from foreign business community. Such factors attracting business from outside to grab opportunity in China that is enormously number of cheap labours benefit from large population and larger market size that amalgamated with positive culture and decent working attitude. If these uncensored search engine that bundle with pornography, social-networking sites and many others information which are not filtered allow to be operated in China, it would degrade cultural and moral values of Chinese and making them intoxicated with hedonism and pleasure-seeking lifestyle, that Deng Xiaoping, the former of Chinese president, termed as “spiritual pollution” . We are not denying the advantages of internet to present life but to allow it operating overtly without restrictions may produce evil greater than benefits. Thus, China should always be firm to what they are doing and the outsiders like Google who want something from China should respect China’s policy and sovereignty.

Abu Mardhiyyah