> China can block all the websites they want, the damage they do to their local internet industry is probably irreversible
I'll need you to explain that to me slowly, because I can't wrap my head around your reasoning. Blocking foreign websites is the best thing China did for its internet industry: Blocking Twitter helps Weibo, Google exiting helped Baidu, and so on. Not having to compete with western companies on home turf can hardly be called "damage".
> From the west's perspective, it is a reasonable tradeoff.
A lot of western companies have effectively saturated the market in the west, the only room left to grow is in China, and so they pander.
They don't know how to compete with foreigners = they don't know how to compete outside of China - it is quite simple.
> A lot of western companies have effectively saturated the market in the west, the only room left to grow is in China, and so they pander.
That isn't true! They are eating the rest of Asia as we speak. Myanmar just opened up, and already Google/Facebook dominate its market. Not a WeChat to be seen. They are completely winning the east that isn't China. The same will happen in Africa when it gets to that point. Chinese Internet companies simply cannot compete outside of their home market without competitive pressure.
China is only 1.3 billion people out of a world of 7 billion. That China currently says our 1.3 billion are off limits is fine as they basically forgo 5.7.
I'll need you to explain that to me slowly, because I can't wrap my head around your reasoning. Blocking foreign websites is the best thing China did for its internet industry: Blocking Twitter helps Weibo, Google exiting helped Baidu, and so on. Not having to compete with western companies on home turf can hardly be called "damage".
> From the west's perspective, it is a reasonable tradeoff.
A lot of western companies have effectively saturated the market in the west, the only room left to grow is in China, and so they pander.