Google isn't doing well in China, and President Barack Obama isn't doing well in the United States. These twin realities have helped trigger a high-profile confrontation with China.
Google is committed to an open Internet because this provides the maximum leverage for its competitive advantage as the pre-eminent search engine. Google also relies on the open Internet to allow it to collect the full spectrum of data that allows it to characterize and exploit the monetary potential of its users. The one area in which Google cannot tolerate openness is in the one area the hackers targeted: the secrets of its search engine.
It is more likely that the Obama administration, with the world financial system stabilized and Chinese goodwill a less vital commodity than before, and its own political fortunes in jeopardy, has found it politically expedient and feasible to harden towards China.
The fallout will perhaps be an accelerated slide by Google - and the United States - into the Indian camp.
For more: Asia Times Online :: China News, China Business News, Taiwan and Hong Kong News and Business.
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