What’s the real reason behind Google’s new-found love for an open society in China? Did it really think that its threat to withdraw from China unless the government stopped censoring its sites, would work? The Chinese government is hardly the type to give in to outside pressure. Is it any surprise that Chinese netizens aren’t rallying in support of Google?

Indeed, Google’s threat has angered most of China’s 384 million netizens, perhaps predictably. Over the last two years, any posturing by a foreign country, specially a Western country, has seen a surge of belligerent nationalism — be it the violence in Lhasa in March 2008, the attacks on the Olympic torch in Paris and London the same year, or Google’s threat now. An online survey showed that 70 per cent netizens felt that their government should not make any concession for Google.

Don’t they want the freedom to explore the internet unhindered by China’s Great Firewall? Apparently not. Partly the answer lies in Google’s limited reach: only 31 per cent of Chinese use Google, with almost 64 per cent using Baidu, China’s own search engine. This despite Google having developed many Chinese-friendly features such as translations, a Chinese-Pinyin (Chinese in Roman script) input system, local train information and legal music downloads.

Netizens angry at Google have pointed out that it is too closely linked with the government of the United States of America. In the official media, Google’s threat is seen as hollow. “Leaving? Google is pouting,’’ said one People’s Daily columnist. This despite proof of the seriousness of its intent being shown — hitherto banned topics such as the Tiananmen Square massacre were available on Google the morning after its announcement. As if on cue, a statement appeared on the information office website, warning about pornography and rumours, and talking about the government and internet media’s responsibility to “guide public opinion’’.

Stone age

Industry experts say that the loser would be Google, given China’s market and the inevitable advances in internet technology. But Google has its followers — and they aren’t afraid to show their loyalty. Since its announcement last week, there was a steady stream of people laying flowers with laudatory notes outside the company’s offices in Beijing and Shanghai, till security guards from Tsinghua University nearby stopped them. Students say they will be badly hit. However, the hardest hit will be Google’s 800-odd employees in China. One report said that its Beijing staff were told not to come to work.

Columnists writing in newspapers known for their boldness, have expressed regret that the exit of Google will deprive Chinese search engines of competition. However, the most poignant comments have come from well-known dissident bloggers. “Google, I await your return when there is freedom,’’ writes Ai Weiwei, an eccentric, irreverent blogger. Journalist Zhang Wen, a proponent of democracy, writes sombrely, “Google finally can no longer stomach the increasingly tightening reins, and must abandon their original position of compromise. I feel this is civilization fighting back against savagery, this is freedom fighting back against autocracy....’’ Zhang goes on to say that the gleeful expressions of “good riddance’’ from netizens are short-sighted; they do not understand that without being able to use the most advanced search engines, they will return to the Stone Age of the internet. On Twitter, an anonymous post points out that with the three most popular websites —YouTube, Google and Facebook blocked in China, this was “not an issue of Google abandoning China, but one of China abandoning the world.”