From the Readers

Adios, Google, don't return

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-30 07:51

Google's closure of its search engine in China should not damage Sino-US relations as long as it remains an isolated case by a commercial company, China's Foreign Ministry said.

And that is exactly where the problem lies -Google is not just a commercial company. Ever since the issue of alleged hacker attacks on Google's e-mail accounts, the company has increasingly presented itself in close association with the US government.

That Google is not just another commercial company was confirmed a couple of nights ago when the spokesman for the US National Security Agency (NSA) said the authorities there are closely watching the Google-China situation. NSA? You've got to be kidding? Isn't that the agency that normally deals with domestic and international terrorism and various other security issues to help the US government create social instability and unrest in order to gain economic advantages in those countries later?

So what kind of company is Google and what are its goals and objectives? Its close ties with the US government are not a secret. One of its founders often holds meetings with political figures from the highest echelons of the US administration.

Willingly or unwillingly, Google has become a puppet, a slave of its own government which now dictates to the company what and how to do to achieve its objectives in foreign policy. What kind of ordinary commercial company holds regular meetings with high ranking US government officials and evokes statements from NSA?

The sooner Google leaves China, the better for the country. There is enough space for domestic companies to cater to both advertising and search engine markets. Google's technology in China was outdated anyway. Goodbye Google, and please don't return to China.

Marion Masar, London, UK, via e-mail

(China Daily 03/30/2010 page9)