双语:谷歌在华代理商致函谷歌讨说法

【英文原文】

Google Partners in China Issue Plea to Web Giant
A group of Google Inc.'s partners in China have sent an impassioned plea to the Internet giant, saying their businesses are in jeopardy if Google closes its Chinese search engine and demanding to know how they will be compensated.

The letter, viewed by The Wall Street Journal, states Google hasn't given its advertising resellers in China guidance since its announcement in January that it may close its Chinese search site, . The letter says the companies have watched their business decline and worry they will be forced out of business if Google withdraws.

The message, which listed 27 Google advertising resellers in China, was sent Monday by email to John Liu, who leads Google's sales team and oversees the company's business operations in greater China, according to one of the resellers on the list, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The letter demands an explanation of how the resellers will be treated if Google has to leave China or shut down .

The companies have sales staff that focus on selling advertising that runs on Google.

'We understand that Google has its own values, but we cannot understand why, until this day, Google has not communicated with us how the matter will be solved,' the letter states.

A Google spokeswoman said the company had received the letter and was reviewing it. The letter was also posted on the Web site of China's state-run television broadcaster.

The Google reseller said the companies are 'facing operating pressure' due to the uncertainty of Google's status in China, but not all of the resellers had a part in drawing up the letter.

'We really hope Google would face up to the problems and try to find ways to solve them,' the reseller said.

Google, which has yet to follow through on an announcement in January to stop filtering results on , has been in negotiations with Chinese authorities over the extent to which it can continue operating.

The saga is being closely watched by Google users in China, which has the most Internet users of any nation and would be dominated almost entirely by easily controlled Chinese companies if Google exits the market. Analysts estimate that Google has tens of millions of users here.

Convinced the company would take action on Monday, hundreds of Google users stayed awake the entire night to monitor search results on the Web site for any indication that filters had been lifted.

Users swapped analyses of results for keyword queries like '1989 student protest,' a reference to the Tiananmen Square crackdown, because such content is considered politically sensitive in China and is often filtered.

Some users published screenshots of Google results that seemed to be uncensored, but it wasn't possible to determine what the causes of those inconsistencies were. As of Tuesday, Google's results were still censored in China.

'Many users are wondering why Google is so indecisive and some of them have lost their patience,' said Issac Mao, an independent Chinese-Internet researcher and blogger.

Google's standoff with the Chinese government has highlighted the sometimes perilous regulatory web that entangles foreign companies in the country.

China operates a licensing system, policed by regulators, that requires all foreign investors to seek approval to conduct business activities within a defined scope.

Companies that breach the terms of their license risk being closed down, which is the position in which Google now finds itself having declared it is no longer willing to censor its search results.

No area of business in China is more politically sensitive than the Internet, or more heavily regulated. China bars foreign companies from owning an 'Internet content provider' license to provide services in the country. For that, Google needed to partner with a Chinese company, which holds the ICP license from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in order to provide services in China.

A Google spokeswoman declined to comment on the status of Google's ICP license, but said licenses are 'generally' due to be renewed this month.

Still, it is unclear to what extent the license renewal is influencing Google's decision making, if at all, according to a person familiar with Google's China plans.

Google's commercial operations also have to be registered with the Ministry of Commerce. On Tuesday, Ministry of Commerce spokesman Yao Jian said Google has two companies registered, but so far the ministry hasn't received any reports regarding an exit of either company.

'If the two companies want to exit from China they will have to go through a procedure including reporting to the commerce ministry,' Mr. Yao said, citing China's foreign investment law. He didn't elaborate.

Google grapples with a slew of agencies that have a say over the Internet. These include the Ministry of Public Security, which deals with criminal activities on the Web, including political dissent; the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, responsible for broadcasting; and the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party, which ensures that the media adheres to political orthodoxy.

For 'anything that has to do with the Internet, you could be facing as many as a half dozen ministries,' said David Wolf, chief executive of Wolf Group Asia, a Beijing-based marketing strategy firm.

【中文译文】

互联网巨头谷歌(Google)的一些在华合作伙伴联名致函谷歌，言词恳切地表示，如果谷歌关闭旗下的中文搜索引擎，它们的业务将陷入危险，并要求获知谷歌对它们的补偿方案。

这封《华尔街日报》看过的信中说，自1月份谷歌宣布可能会关闭旗下中文搜索网站以来，一直没有给在华广告代理商任何指导。信中说，这些企业的业务量直线下滑，担心如果谷歌退出中国，它们将被迫关门停业。

在信中列名的一位不愿透露身份的代理商说，信中列出了谷歌在华的27家广告代理商，周一通过电子邮件方式发给了谷歌销售团队负责人、主管大中华区业务运行的刘允。

信中要求谷歌作出解释：如果谷歌不得不退出中国或关闭中文搜索网站，代理商们将受到怎样的待遇。

这些企业的销售人员专注于在谷歌上运行的广告的销售。

信中说，我们理解谷歌有自己的价值观，但我们不能理解的是，直至今天，谷歌与我们之间没有任何沟通和关于未来解决方案的谈判。

谷歌势将离华 代理商质询如何“善后”
谷歌在华广告代理商联名致函谷歌说，如果谷歌关闭旗下的中文搜索引擎，它们的业务将陷入危险，并要求谷歌给代理商合理的解决方案。《华尔街日报》马塞洛·普林斯(Marcelo Prince)报道。谷歌发言人说，该公司收到了信，正在进行研究。该信还被公布在了中国国有电视台的网站上。

上述未具名谷歌代理商说，由于谷歌在华状况不确定，这些企业面临着运营的压力，不过并非所有的代理商都参与了信函的起草。

这位代理商说，我们真的希望谷歌能够直面问题，并努力想办法解决。

谷歌尚未按1月份声明中所说的那样停止过滤上的搜索结果。谷歌一直在与中国有关部门就继续在华运营的范围进行谈判。

这一事件获得了谷歌在华用户的密切关注。中国是全球互联网用户最多的国家，如果谷歌退出，中国的互联网市场将几乎完全被容易控制的中国企业所占据。分析人士估计，谷歌在中国有数千万名用户。

由于相信谷歌将在周一采取行动，数百名谷歌用户彻夜未眠，监测谷歌网站的搜索结果，看看是否有迹象显示过滤已经被取消了。

用户们用“1989年学生抗议”等关键词进行测试，因为这样的内容在中国被视为政治敏感内容，经常会被过滤掉。

某些用户贴出了似乎未经审查的谷歌搜索结果的截图，但无法确定引起这种结果不一致的原因。截至周二，谷歌的搜索结果仍受中国审查。

毛向辉是位独立的中国互联网研究员，也是位博主，他说许多用户不明白谷歌为何如此缺乏决断，部分用户已失去耐心。

谷歌事件突显出在华的外国公司有时会卷入危险的监管体系。

中国实行监管许可制，政策由监管层制定，要求所有的外国投资者在限定范围内进行经营，并要事先取得批准。

如果违反许可条款，则有被停业风险。谷歌宣布不愿就其搜索结果接受审查，目前就面临这种风险。

在中国没有比互联网更具政治敏感性的行业了，这个行业的管制也最严格。中国禁止外国公司拥有互联网内容提供商许可（ICP），不得在中国提供相关服务。因而，谷歌必须与一家拥有中国工信部颁发的ICP许可证的中国公司合作，方获得了在中国提供互联网服务的资质。

谷歌一位发言人拒绝对谷歌拥有的ICP许可证发表评论，但称许可证通常需在本月续办。

据一位熟悉谷歌在华计划的人士称，许可证续办是否影响或在何种程度上影响谷歌的决策尚不得知。

谷歌的商业运作也必须在中国商务部注册。商务部发言人姚坚周二说，谷歌在中国有两家注册公司，但迄今商务部尚未接到两家公司有意退出的报告。

姚坚说，根据中国外商投资法的规定，如果这两家公司要从中国退出，则必须经过一定的程序，包括向商务部报告。对此他并做详细阐述。

谷歌得与对互联网有管理权的许多机构打交道。这些机构包括处理网络犯罪包括政治异议的公安部、负责广播电视的广电部，及确保媒体政治立场正确的中宣部。

沃尔夫亚洲集团（Wolf Group Asia）是一家位于北京的市场策略公司，其首席执行长大卫•沃尔夫（David Wolf）说，对于任何与互联网相关的事宜，可能都要与多达六七个部门打交道。