In a major turnaround in mid-November, Internet giant Yahoo settled with the families of Chinese dissidents it had earlier helped put behind bars. But while some may think that Yahoo might have had a change of heart, several industry pundits and government officials believe that it might have simply been the bad press it has been getting for being involved in Shi Tao's arrest and sentencing that led to the settlement.
Dr. Peter Navarro, Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy at University of California, Irvine's School of Business, is the author of "The Coming China Wars," a book that explores China's internal chaos as well as economic and political belligerence toward other countries.
He is also one of those who believes that the recent Yahoo settlement simply an anomalous case due to public pressure.
In an interview with The Epoch Times, Dr. Navarro said, "Unfortunately, it [the Yahoo settlement] is likely an anomalous case."
He continues, "All of the other major players—Cisco, Microsoft, Google, Skype—are peddling the Communist Party line of "when in Beijing, they do as the Beijinger's"—which is to say kowtow to local law no matter how many people get hurt."
Yahoo, Microsoft, Google and other Internet giants argue that by being involved in China they may play a more positive role now in the development of free speech on China's Internet. Dr. Navarro says, "The evidence suggests the contrary. The Communist Party just seems more adept at using Western technologies to censor the Net than users do at evading the censorship controls so the net result (pun intended) is a negative for free expression and democracy."
Yahoo has indeed been very quiet, even critical, about the Global Online Freedom Act that was approved by the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee in October this year. For a company that had publicly stated months earlier that international consensus needed to be developed on doing ethical Internet business in China, it represents a letdown and makes it clear that Yahoo is now backtracking on its promise.
It is obvious that Internet giants are failing not only democracy, but also the Chinese people themselves by kowtowing to the Communist regime.
Dr. Navarro adds to that: "I would join that chorus. The behavior of the American companies is nothing short of reprehensible. It is also stupid because if these companies resisted Chinese pressure as a group, they wouldn't be forced to kowtow as they do.
"None of the American companies will support anything that might put them out of business in China. Profits matter more than people."
As per a Harvard study, the Chinese Communist regime seems more intent on censoring voices of dissent on the Internet, such as the Nine Commentaries, rather than what is more traditionally considered harmful to society, such as pornography and violent content.
Given how fundamental free speech is in healthy democracies, it is rather sad that companies that have foundations in American values have become so willing to forget their ethical values when doing business in China.
But for Internet giants that put the green buck in front of people, it is perhaps to be expected that human rights become the first item that is forgotten when doing business.
Dr. Navarro put the actions of Internet giants into perspective, "Quoting the other bard (Bob Dylan) 'Money doesn't talk, it swears. Propaganda all is phony.'"
Feeds