Chinese users are being redirected to the google.com.hk site China has condemned Google's decision to redirect users to an uncensored site in Hong Kong - effectively closing its search site in China. Most BBC News website readers in China appear to be critical of the decision and suggest its impact on internet users in China will be limited. THE IMPACT ON INTERNET USERS I feel regret Google's leaving. For most Chinese, Google is the only access to real information abroad. Most Chinese college students need academic information and Google is their only choice. Compared with the biggest competitor, Baidu, which is full of advertisements and fake information, Google has done well. Maybe Google is a loser in business but a winner in ethics.

Dante, Ningbo, China When I search Chinese content, I always use Baidu because it gives me more suitable results. But when I want some international material, for example on software development, Google gives me the results I want. The most important is that I almost never use Google.cn. So if Google.cn doesn't exist, it's not big deal to me. I just use Google.com. I think that the government censorship is not good, there must be another way to keep our society harmonious.

Chen Daojun, Sichuan Province It is amazing that Google has made this decision and that they are prepared to lose the most valuable market. Most Chinese people are regretting this, however, it will not have a great impact on our lives.

Chaos, China I feel very sad about Google's withdraw. It means that I will not be able to find information effectively and it could cost me more time to find information for my work, because most of the Chinese search engines are not very effective due to government control. Google's decision and the government's response will be a big hindrance to Chinese internet development.

Guan Lei, China Google's withdrawal from the Chinese market will affect China's international image and many people won't be able to access information on Google. Google will lose a potential market. I would like to access Google and other sites like YouTube and Facebook.

Wesley, Qinghai, China Most of my friends and colleagues use Baidu, not Google, because Baidu is advanced in Chinese searching. Google have a tiny market share in China. No market share - no profit. Censorship is just an excuse to withdraw. I've always supported their products, like Gmail and Gtalk, but I've no regrets to see them go.

Boxbo, Beijing The earth still rotates without Google. Actually the only drawback is that I would find it much more difficult to search porn websites after Google goes.

Camby Wang, Beijing SUPPORTING GOOGLE'S DECISION I think it is good news for everyone who lives in China. The Chinese government limits us a lot. We can't watch videos on YouTube and we can't access Facebook. There's a joke, a play of words with the pronunciation of "facebook" in Chinese, which says "no choice but die". This is the destiny of Facebook in China. Now Google redirects its users to its Hong Kong site - in my opinion this is good news for the Chinese people because it shows a stance against restrictions.

RyanZheng, Nanjing China I strongly opposite the Chinese government's activities and I will always use Google, any time, anywhere, even when the government is blocking access to its services. Google, you are great!

Wangge, Wuhan CRITICAL OF THE MOVE To be honest, I like Google, but I strongly oppose this decision. It threatened the Chinese government with withdrawal from the country, now it does something different - it changes it's server address. I also strongly oppose the politicisation of commercial issues, and the link Google has with the US government. I also strongly oppose Google putting pressure on China, so don't just change your server - leave China completely.

Xiaoyong, Jinan, Shandong Province It is a little regretful, but fortunately we still have Baidu and other search engines. Abiding by the law is a very basic rule, not unique in China. When Chinese companies go to do business in the US, can they say they do not like the US law? They have no choice but to respect the law. Law is law. Google is acting more aggressively than the US government, are they a company or a US agent, or a company with super-power, like in an American movie? We do not want to be controlled by a company. Google leave China!

Yingda, Beijing Google is just a tool for the US government. Business is business and a company should consider the benefit of its shareholders. Anyway, what would Google have done if it occupied 80% of the Chinese market. Farewell Google, you will be back someday, but it will be tougher for you.

Junhua, China Whether it's the US regulating internet gaming or Germany banning Nazism-related information on the internet, every country has its regulatory framework on the internet, which must be respected. Google agreed to specific terms when entering China and now it changed its mind? Redirecting traffic to Hong Kong is even more outrageous as it openly tries to push for the circumvention of laws and regulations that my portfolio companies dutifully abide by. I don't think Google can come back to China any time soon.

Liu Yang Sheng, Beijing As a Chinese citizen I condemn Google's action. Google doesn't have the right to intervene in our country's domestic affairs. I will never use Google anymore as a punishment.

Arthur Lyun, Penglai Google's action is wrong. It is a terrible example of the US making laws for the rest of the world. A US company makes law for their own benefit but in the name of people.

xxxyyy329, Shanghai, china FOREIGN PERSPECTIVE I use Google Images all day for design research and the ban filters virtually all images, even through Hong Kong Google. Baidu is not offered in English so this has hugely affected my work. Very frustrating.

Owen Francis, Qingdao, China I am a British businessman with a factory in China. Chinese people do not use Google for searching in Chinese. It is mostly used by salespeople targeting foreign companies to sell their products to. Google China presented Chinese results in a font that is difficult to read. Baidu is the search engine of choice in China.

Gordon Styles, Zhongshan China I operate a web host and at least 90% of attempted attacks come from China. I am seriously considering blocking access from China as well. I am certainly not as big as Google but security of the websites on my server takes number one priority. None of my customers will loose any sleep over it if I do block China. Maybe more companies need to do this and just maybe the Chinese government will spend money on stopping the hackers instead of policing innocent internet users.

Fred, Armagh, Northern Ireland



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