You are more likely to see a full solar eclipse than hear a CEO of a multinational company speak candidly about China. This makes Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s recent comments so refreshing…and important. Asked by Charlie Rose for Bloomberg Businessweek about Google’s experience in China, Schmidt’s response should be required reading for every politician and business person in America:
[T]he Chinese government is very, very powerful. … Negotiating, Charlie, doesn’t work with the Chinese.
What this often means in practice is: The Chinese government plays hardball, while our business leaders and politicians play softball. So guess who wins? (Hint: not the American people.)
The full excerpt from the interview follows, with Charlie Rose’s questions in bold text:
What did you learn from Google’s experience in China?
The thing you learn about China is…Chinese citizens are very clever, very creative, and the Chinese government is very, very powerful.So you didn’t change government censorship policies by being there?
The evidence is clear that our entry did not alter censorship policies whatsoever. Negotiating, Charlie, doesn’t work with the Chinese.
Keep Eric Schmidt’s important words in mind as you follow coverage of China issues in the weeks ahead. It brings clarity to so much of what is going on there.
Category: China
Tags: China-economy, China-politics, Eric Schmidt, Google