The Stop of Google's Services in China and Hong Kong

(New York) On July 29th, it was made clear in public that the usage of the American internet search engine giant Google, whose main services are search engine and advertisement, was stopped from China, while the operation based in Hong Kong was expanding.

Until August 28th, it was still being used without problem, and the reason for termination was unclear. If the period of termination is to be lengthened, it is feared that there would be a big negative influence on Google's business in China. However, on September 9th they received the renewal of their license to continue their business in providing internet service.

When Google withdrew from China in March earlier this year, a website that shows the connections from the headquarter in China and all kinds of services provided by Google were publicized. Although previously, the service was partly terminated, it was the first time to reach a situation whereby it was blocked completely.

Affiliated services such as Youtube, a video-posting site, as well as blog and photo-sharing, had been blocked previously, and the situation continued until now. On 29th, the only internet service that could be used without any problem was only email.

Comment:
The internet world in China is indeed much stricter than other countries. I started to wonder whether the limitation of internet services will have impact on the growth of China's economy, because the limitation might hinder exchange of useful information that can stimulate innovative business and enterprises.

NUGROHO Katarina Marsha Utama
Indonesia
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APM, 4)