Google Tiptoes Back Into China

Google's refusal to compromise what it said were its principles with regard to internet search in China was, ostensibly, a gesture meant to underscore its devotion to its 'don't be evil' motto - and a failed attempt to convince the world that it was right and the economic powerhouse of 1.whatever billion people was in the wrong.

It was bold, laudatory - and one that the company has probably regretted ever since. Not that it doesn't believe it was correct to defy authority with regard to the sanctity of knowledge, but that that is one humongous shank of a nation likely to drive global commerce for a long time to come so giving it a pass hurts. A lot. And as one who just returned from China a couple of weeks ago, access to any and all Google products (as well as Twitter and Facebook) is forbidden, which is to say, impossible. Unless, presumably, one has the right connections or can claim to do so for research purposes (though even that is being monitored more closely of late).

It is then not surprising to learn that Google is figuring out way to make itself acceptable without totally sacrificing whatever it was it believed it stood for at the time. The Chinese, too, now that they have launched Baidu, AliBaba and several other internet enterprises, sees that there are benefits to giving its web and app developers an outlet for their talents while chipping away at western dominance of those markets.

While this may be bad for Google's soul, it doesnt appear to have damaged the commercial prospects of any of its rivals. We live in a relatively pragmatic and sometimes cynical age: 'ya gotta do what ya gotta do' seems to be the current watchword of our faith. So expect Google and China to effect a rapprochement - and expect to benefit from it. JL

Victor Luckerson reports in Time:

Chinese developers can now sell their apps as exports in Google's app store.
Google is trying to woo mobile developers in China.
The search giant has announced that Chinese app developers will now be able to sell apps to Google Play users in more than 130 other countries. It’s one of Google’s first attempts to engage with the Chinese marketplace since leaving the country in 2010 in following conflicts with the government over national censorship policies.
The Google Play Store is severely restricted in China, so app makers in the country will be selling their wares as exports. It’s no surprise that Google is having second thoughts on leaving the country behind: China has more than 600 million Internet users, and that figure is expected to reach 800 million next year.
This olive branch to developers may be the first step in a more ambitious strategy. Google is reportedly looking to partner with a Chinese phone manufacturer or wireless carrier to launch a full-featured version of the Play store in the country,