China vs. Google -- and the Power of 'Twitter Diplomacy'

“Things are heating up between Google and Beijng, and it looks increasingly likely that Google will pull out of China. While Google's refusal to continue censoring its search results in China is a bold symbolic gesture, over the short term a Google withdrawal is not likely to increase Internet freedom in China. But even if Google does ultimately leave China, the game is not over. Western companies can promote Internet freedom from the outside, by providing useful technology as well as the keys to access it. Call this ‘Twitter diplomacy.’ Twitter is largely blocked by China's ‘great firewall’ (GFW), which prevents Chinese people from accessing certain sites. Yet Twitter has an almost religious following among tech-savvy Chinese, whose determination to use the service outstrips authorities’ efforts to block access to it,” says Emily Parker, Arthur Ross Fellow at Asia Society’s Center on U.S.-China Relations.

Emily is in New York. To arrange an interview, contact the Asia Society communications department at 212-327-9271 or [email protected].