CRI听力: Google's Goodbye Makes No Big Difference

As Google has closed its Chinese-language search engine, Google.cn, and redirected visitors to its servers in Hong Kong, many netizens are asking how it will affect their search experience with Google.

Our reporter Liu Min has more details.

 Netizens used to logging on to Google.cn have found the site automatically redirected to Google.com.hk. The first question to come to mind is whether there is now a real difference from previous searches.

President Luo Tiejian from the science and engineering college of the Chinese Academy of Science says the surfing speed won't change much.

"Technically, it doesn't make big difference where the server is located. The access speed of the Web site will only be affected when the main optical fiber cable connecting Hong Kong and the mainland has some problems. Otherwise, there is no difference in the surfing experience."

Whether an online search engine can provide user-friendly service and the content users really need is a decisive factor in the company's ability to keep and accumulate customers. Baidu.com takes up more than 70 percent of the search engine market share in China, while Google.cn only accounts for around 20 percent. Of Google's annual worldwide profits, Google.cn only accounts for 2 percent. Many assume that the decision was due to their small market share in China and worry about whether the company will further reduce their focus on Chinese content services. President Luo thinks Google won't lower their service standard even though they aren't making a huge profit.

"Up to now, search engine companies have mainly made profits from advertisements. If they reduce their search service quality on the Chinese content and the user's surfing experience is not good enough, then the merchants, Google's partners, won't want to launch their advertisements anymore on Google. So I think if they are smart enough they won't reduce their Chinese content service quality."

He also says there is the potential risk that companies like Google haven't foreseen in the Internet regulations.

"There is an assumption here. In order to prevent harmful information in the Internet in China, the country may require that Chinese companies can only advertise on search engines with servers locating within the country - then Google's withdrawal from the Chinese mainland will be fatal to their business here. I'm not sure whether they thought that through when they made the decision."

So far, Google has only moved part of its services onto the Hong Kong server, leaving sections such as the music and map services on the server in the Chinese mainland. According to analysis in many media outlets, including the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal, this indicates that Google still doesn't want to fully give up its presence in such a grand market, and its withdrawal will block its global expansion plan in the long run. Chinese Internet experts also say this may be an opportunity for China-based search engines to grow.

For China Drive, I'm Liu Min.