As Google prepares potentially for a highly politicized exist of China, we'll hear a lot more accusations on how closed China's Internet is. The presumption of Google's move would be that China's Internet is closed while the rest of the world (in which Google still does business) is open. Of course, anyone who has even remote experience with China's internet (and Chinese … [Read more...] about What does “Internet Censorship” Mean?
Google Leaving China?
According to Google's CEO Schmidt, Google's "negotiation" with the Chinese government over Internet censorship regulations will end "soon." There are speculations in the tech-sphere that it looks like Google will have to leave China. According to ZDNet's Tom Forenski, for example: Champagne corks are undoubtedly popping in Redmond on reports that Google is planning to close … [Read more...] about Google Leaving China?
Translation: Living in an Era of Change – Era of Acceptance
Last month, Xinhua News had an interesting piece of “被时代” - which translates roughly to “era of being forced” or “era of acceptance.” 被 (bei) in Chinese indicates a passive clause. Thus when you get hit (撞), you say 你被撞了. According to an Internet poll, the most popular Chinese character of 2009 was “被.” Why? Part of the reason is that living in a society charging full … [Read more...] about Translation: Living in an Era of Change – Era of Acceptance
U.N.’s Application of the Clean Development Mechanism to China – Fair or Unfair?
As is customary for many over the Chinese New Year, I spent a lot of time cleaning up old junk in my house the last few weeks. As luck would have it, I happened to run over a December article in BusinessWeek reporting that the U.N. had stopped awarding carbon funding of green projects in China. An excerpt of the article (cnn copy) is provided here: The United Nations body in … [Read more...] about U.N.’s Application of the Clean Development Mechanism to China – Fair or Unfair?
Why does the Dalai Lama’s Visit “Anger” China so Much?
So yesterday I was having dinner with a good friend from the East Coast. And the topic of Obama's recent meeting with the Dalai Lama came up. "Why does the Dalai Lama Visit anger China so much," he asked, among other questions. On the one hand, the question my friend asks is very legit. The Chinese government holds all the cards. With every passing day, Tibet is … [Read more...] about Why does the Dalai Lama’s Visit “Anger” China so Much?