China vs Google

Kudos to Google for trying to maintain its integrity by taking on the Middle Kingdom.

(Even the US doesn't have enough balls to convince China from manipulating the Yuan...or carelessly overlooking its environmental duties for the sake of economic growth...or suppressing the voices of its "autonomous regions"...or censoring any voice that tries to dissent the communist party...or establishing military/business partnerships that disregard human rights in foreign countries...or etc...)

Firstly, I do commend Google for standing by its "Do no Evil" motto. Although I am not sure I'd go as far as calling censorship "evil", I also do realize that Google is a for-profit business. As such, if a business desires to enter into foreign markets, it should naturally follow the country's own laws and regulations. This is no different than the requirement for businesses to face different tax laws, government safety regulations, etc.

Google, as a symbolic representation of America's freedom of speech/print, obviously clashes with China's own interpretation as to how to best govern its people. While, western (esp. American) ideals are driven by individualism and self-righteousness, Chinese beliefs follow traditional Confucian teachings of obedience and national/filial piety. As a Chinese American, I understand how these ideologies are fundamentally different and require different approaches to government. Democracy undercuts China's penchant for authority (much like a father ruling his children like an iron-fist), and censorship undercuts the Western system of free information (and optimistic trust in its citizens). Both systems work (more or less), and its arguable which one works better...