Google To Restart Talks With China 118
eldavojohn writes "Following the infamous attacks allegedly carried out by the Chinese government, Google sent a strongly worded message to China. However, despite the show of plumage, Google.cn continues to operate filtered. While both parties are silent about any resolution, Google and China have planned to restart talks and negotiations over Google operating unfiltered in China. (If you have a subscription, you can read about the story from its original source, the Wall Street Journal.) The print edition of the WSJ names Google policy executive Ross LaJeunesse as their representative meeting with Chinese officials. Meanwhile, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, has officially rejected the claim that the attacks were sanctioned by the Chinese government. He said, 'Google's statement from January 12 is groundless, and we are firmly opposed to it. China administers its internet according to law, and this position will not change. China prohibits hacking and will crack down on hacking according to law.'"
"Talks and Negotiations"? (Score:5, Insightful)
Is Google a country? Did I miss something?
And exactly what "laws" is Google breaking in China?
Why isn't this ever worth noting?
Pussies. (Score:3, Insightful)
You just couldn't do it.
Show some backbone (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Show some backbone (Score:3, Insightful)
Show a little spine and turn the damn filters off.
That will likely lead to the deaths of google employees in China. I do think that continuing to operate with filters on is evil, but I also think that throwing your people to the dogs of China is also evil.
It would be nice if Google could find some third solution. I don't see it yet, but I'm not there.
Semantics for fun and profit (Score:3, Insightful)
why should China bother? (Score:3, Insightful)
China doesn't need google. Why should they bother? They have Baidu and it's in their best interest for this market in China to be owned by a Chinese company.
I'm just not seeing how Google has any kind of negotiating position here.
Ask yourself, do you want to support China? (Score:5, Insightful)
Okay, let's face it, China is THE rising power this century. Thanks to the mistakes of a previous administration, the U.S. will be surpassed sometime in the 2020s (not the 2050s as was previously predicted). If you're Republican you can pick Clinton, if you're Democrat you can pick Bush. (On the other hand, if you believe in reality, I think the choice is obvious).
But I digress. Despite all the bad things that the U.S. has said and done and been blamed for, I think it is obvious that it is still a much more benevolent world power than China has shown itself to be. Consider Tibet, North Korea, Ulighars, Global Warming, dissidents, Iran, Africa etc. etc. Let's face it, China only cares about itself and only about keeping the ruling party in power (and rich). They may not be actively supporting "evil" in the world but they sure don't go out of their way to fight against it.
Frankly, there's not too much that'll stop this from happening. But it's better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness. So, please, ask yourself when you have a choice, do you want to support China? If there is another product that's just a little more expensive from another country, please consider buying it. If you can get a return on investment that's just a little less than investing in China consider changing your investments (I did a couple of years ago).
You'll sleep better because of it.
Fists. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Ask yourself, do you want to support China? (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't claim to be an expert but I don't see China growing to surpass the rest of the world. China got to the point it is today by doing stuff cheaply, as far as I can tell they are more dependent on us than we are on them. Our dealings with China are only for cost savings and their dealing with us is their life blood.
Re:Show some backbone (Score:3, Insightful)
That will likely lead to the deaths of google employees in China.
Puh-lease. No one is going to do that, because it would be piss off Wall Street, and the CCP only cares about one thing: money.
Threatening without having the balls to do it (Score:2, Insightful)
China called Google's bluff and destroyed Google's credibility. Next time think it through first, Google. Right now you look like any other multinational corporation that would sell their founders' grandmothers to make more profit.
Hacking? (Score:1, Insightful)
No, no. As a government-sanctioned action it would neither be considered 'hacking' nor against the law.
Don't travel much do you? (Score:3, Insightful)
Try going to Shanghai where they are expected to double the 4000 skyscrapers they already have there in the next 15 years. (Manhattan only has 2000).
Or go to Guangzhou where a sleepy fishing village 20 years ago is now a mega city with buildings stretching to the horizon.
Consider that China is building 42 high speed rail lines (in addition to the world's only maglev). How many does the U.S. have? Zero.
Or think to the future, already the world's largest solar panel manufacturer, China will soon overtake the U.S. in wind power. (It blows the world away in new nuclear power plants).
If one includes the Chinese studying overseas, one could make a credible case that it already has caught up to the U.S. in cutting edge technology.
How someone who readily admits not being an expert could get a +5 insightful shows how ethno-centric Slashdot is. China was called "the sleeping giant" by Napolean. Now while it has awoken, it is another country that has fallen asleep.
Re:"Talks and Negotiations"? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Ask yourself, do you want to support China? (Score:3, Insightful)
Your analogy is flawed.
First, the US still sells wheat cheaply to the rest of the world, this hasn't changed.
Second, the US wasn't an industrial power until after the Civil war and really didn't take off until after WWI.
Third, the US had (still has) much greater access to raw materials within its borders. The Chinese environment is quickly degrading into a nightmare, and the US has more forests today than any time since Lewis and Clarke. Not to mention huge reserves of almost every other natural resources either within the US or within Canada.
Fourth, the US had a representative government (barring minorities and women in some places) that allowed for grievances to be aired and addressed. China does not. China will implode under the weight of its totalitarian regime.
Also, your numbers are flawed. I know Wikipedia is a great source of facts, but I would rather defer to this report prepared for Congress:
http://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL31403.pdf [google.com]
According to that report in 2005 China exported $200 billion more products to the US than they imported. By any measure $200 billion is a significant fraction of the Chinese GDP and at least 5%. That $200 billion is %1.4 of the US's GDP. Moreover, while the US can easily find new sources for imported goods, there is no equivalent market for Chinese goods.
Besides imports, the US is the one of the biggest sources of FDI. Meaning, all those factories operating in China depend on US money to operate.
Demographically the Chinese are double screwed. 4 times the population of the US is confined to the area the size of the continental US. As another poster mentioned, the Chinese are cursed with way more men than women and single sexually frustrated men generally do not lead to a stable society.
Long story short, China will not overtake the US economically in 2020, or 2050, or ever.
Now, if they adopted a representative government, abandoned the one-child policy, and invaded Siberia, then there would be something to compare.