The mighty dragon?

Back in 2001, when China was chosen as the host for the 2008 Olympic Games, the country became everybody's darling. The world’s media and business community tried to court this great country. Everyone wanted to get a slice of the action. Politicians as well as bigger and smaller companies wanted to do business with China. It was politically correct — and it could earn your company kudos — if you could say that you had business partners in China.

Of course, there have been a number of unfortunate scandals involving China — including faulty goods, fakes of all kinds, and poor quality controls — but this did not stop companies from investing in what was promising to become one of the world’s leading economic powers.

And then, in March 2008, the unrest in Tibet happened. Tibet, of course, had always been there in the background, waiting to explode, but the timing couldn’t have been better — or worse. On the one hand, China did not want any bad publicity before the Olympic Games. On the other hand, Tibet could not be ignored — even after the rioting in Lhasa had stopped. The international media was following the Olympic torch on its world tour, and there was widespread coverage of demonstrations around the world in support of Tibet. This time round, Tibet would not be forgotten that easily.

The pressure on China to change its ways is great, but, at the same time, the world’s political leaders and large businesses are being very careful not to antagonize the dragon. They are all for a peaceful solution to the Tibet crisis. They are all fully aware of China’s very poor human-rights record. And yet, criticizing the government of China openly could jeopardize one’s future business opportunities in a very lucrative market.

But there is a new wind blowing from the West. The first signs of resistance are coming from the world internet giant Google. Because of cyber attacks from within China, in which hackers obtained sensitive information about human-rights activists, Google decided to stop censoring content on its Chinese website and to shift its search services to unfiltered Hong Kong servers. Could this mean the end for Google in China?

At a political level, China is also very resilient. At the recent Nuclear Security summit  in Washington, Obama was keen to get China's support in securing tougher sanctions against Iran. Because of its business interests in the region, China could jeopardize the agreement, as it has veto power on the UN Security Council. Cooperation with China is essential but never easy.