There's a real contradiction that's difficult to explain to the West and the outside world about China and about the Internet.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
The early idealists and companies and governments have all assumed that the Internet will bring freedom. Yet China proves that this is not the case.
So rather than face the bitter truth, China has placed severe restrictions on the Internet and enlisted America's high-tech companies as their Internet police.
Today's China is not in the least shut out from the rest of the world. Trends come to us from all over the world. And the Internet is really developed in China. We get news from all over the world.
There are a lot of people that think the Internet is going to bring information and democracy and pluralism in China just by existing.
Like it or not, Google and the Chinese government are stuck in a tense, long-term relationship, and can look forward to more high-stakes shadow-boxing in the netherworld of the world's most elaborate system of censorship.
The advantage of the internet is that it has taken away the charade of politics. China has heard of democracy and people know about certain concepts they wouldn't have previously.
The Chinese government learnt how to manage the Internet from Western developed countries; we have not learnt enough yet.
The Internet is truly God's gift to the Chinese people.
China's censorship and propaganda systems may be complex and multilayered, but they are obviously not well coordinated.
It seems pretty clear that the Internet has an important economic role to play for China as it reaches out to the rest of the world.