Chinese support Google
By Pulkit Sharma

Every week, Indian media reports on how China is trying to intimidate us.  Grabbing land in Arunachal and JK, granting special visas to Kashmiris, blocking our World Bank loans and so on.  The Indian Govt has tried a diplomatic approach in the past which has not worked.  It seems a bully only understands the language of force. 

The Chinese Government tries the same tactics with many countries and private companies around the world.  Most Governments and companies play up to China to access their multi trillion dollar market. In an ideal world, every human being will have the basic freedoms of speech, assembly, movement and the right to worship their Gods. China, like many totalitarian regimes, does not stand for such universal values. The Chinese authorities say they need to enforce such laws for the ‘larger public interest’. In reality, it is all about protecting the absolute power of a handful of people and families.

But some tech companies like WordPress and Google have stood up to China. WordPress walked away from the Chinese market rather than compromise their lofty human rights principles.  This week Google, infuriated at Chinese Government hacking of their websites, threatened to pull out of China.  All Google China employees have been sent on leave.  Google China has lifted censorship of Tiananmen Square shootings and Tibet.  China and Google are well on the way to the total breakdown of any working relationship.

But it seems that there are many Chinese who yearn to have the basic freedoms afforded in Liberal democracies.  Many gathered outside the Google offices in China and put flowers to show their support.

Google Chinese employee Junyu Wang took photos of Chinese expressing their solidarity with Google at their offices in Beijing.  Ironically, this brave young Googler had to upload the photos to Google rival Yahoo’s photo sharing site for the world to see.

Every totalitarian regime falls because it is built on a shaky foundation of fear and force.  How long will it be before ordinary Chinese get the same rights as people around the world?