Google has added some credibility to their slogan ‘do no evil’ but it still exists in other countries where internet access is censored. China was merely the most notable one.

The Chinese government has learned the art of silencing the influential middle class by allowing them to thrive in a pseudo-capitalistic model while still maintaining firm control over the overall government power. If anybody thinks Google’s exit is going to have any impact in their policy then , in my opinion, that’s mistaken. The Chinese who live in China have a sense of pride about their standing in the world. After all they control the purse strings of the great capitalist – America. Democracy is chaotic, ugly and in the end its the closest thing to complete freedom. But what the Chinese want their people to see if the ugly part. The two biggest democracies – India and the US are not exactly the smoothest ones to run as current events will attest.

If there is hope that China will ‘open up’ its government then it lies at the feet of its expat population. Those that have seen the ‘light’ and would never again accept government interference in their lives. When they go back to their country to visit or to resettle, they take back ideas and visions. Only they can effect positive change. It has to come from within. All external parties like Google are simply playing to their audience. But that’s my opinion.