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Google's update of Taiwan map denounced
By Guan Xiaomeng (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-10-19 14:48
Li Xinpei, former president of North Californian Council for the Promotion of
Peaceful Reunification of China, expressed his disappointment with Google's
decision to succumb to the Taiwan independence forces.
However, Google spokesman Debbie Frost claimed that this alteration was just
a "regular update" of all of the site's map pages rather than a deliberate
effort to specially update the Taiwan page.
In spite of that, Li denounced Google's excuse, saying that whatever its
intention was, it must bear the one-China principle in mind.
Zhang Shaofu, a Chinese-American scholar, worried that the updated web page
may mislead the American people, Google's largest consumer group, giving the
impression of an "independent Taiwan." Worse still, the overseas Chinese may
develop wrong concepts as the result of the "updated" map of Taiwan.
Many Chinese online readers expressed rejection and displeasure at the
removal by Google, with many writing at the popular sina.com and sohu.com
chatrooms suggesting boycotting Google's China service.
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