(English) While the actions are real, and the role played by China important, American opinion will be more affected by sustained dialogue and actual results more than the delayed revelation that China said something to a relative of the dear leader.

(English) There is a current within the recent debate over Google and China that many Chinese observers are overlooking. Both Michael and I feel agree that the reaction to Google’s opposition to Chinese censorship rules and the company’s threat to withdraw entirely from the China market are misunderstood. It is easy to take this one dispute and examine it in a vacuum. By itself, this controversy can be seen as a human rights issue/information imperialism/a Google business failure/control over the internet and the list goes on and on. While those are all valid filters to explore this issue, none of them adequately explain the overwhelming public support that Google is receiving in the United States for its decision to challenge the central government. Americans are rallying behind Google in this dispute because we, as a culture, as a people love to challenge authority:

对不起，此内容只适用于English。

对不起，此内容只适用于English。

(English) Pew Global Attitudes Project shows global perceptions on US & Chinese leadership. What can we read into numbers from such surveys? Is national pride or despondency distorting true opinions?