One strategy to resolve a conflict is adaptation. Zhang Yu, two thousand years ago said: “Adaptation means not clinging to fixed methods, but changing appropriately according to events, acting as it suitable”.
China and Google seem to have it all wrong. The Middle Kingdom is fighting to protect its society from American values imposed by Google. The giant search engine is in a battle to shield its integrity: freedom of information.
Google threatened to pull out of the world’s largest Internet market with an estimated 384 million users, if China was incapable to adapt. The answer was from Minister Chen Deming: “You’re not going to get 1.3 billion Chinese to change by insulting them” followed by “In the end; America is the one that needs to adjust”.
The West decided to close down Google.com.cn by transferring all data onto Google.com.hk, managed in Hong Kong. This short term solution hardly resolves the conflict as China can block Google.hk at any given time. America is simply targeting the symptom of the conflict rather than the cause.
China and Google seem to have it all wrong. The Middle Kingdom is fighting to protect its society from American values imposed by Google. The giant search engine is in a battle to shield its integrity: freedom of information.
Google threatened to pull out of the world’s largest Internet market with an estimated 384 million users, if China was incapable to adapt. The answer was from Minister Chen Deming: “You’re not going to get 1.3 billion Chinese to change by insulting them” followed by “In the end; America is the one that needs to adjust”.
The West decided to close down Google.com.cn by transferring all data onto Google.com.hk, managed in Hong Kong. This short term solution hardly resolves the conflict as China can block Google.hk at any given time. America is simply targeting the symptom of the conflict rather than the cause.
