China is cracking down again. If you simply read the story and have no greater understanding of the oppressive nature of the country, then you might just take this at face value. However, coupled with GAPPS new rules you can read between the lines and see what this was really all about. China is an oppressive nation, and like all other Communist nations, has walls to keep it’s citizens in rather than keep people out.
Access to the Internet, while relatively prevalent in China, is tightly regulated. The Great Firewall of China is ubiqutous and all powerful, though aspiring young technology savvy users have learned ways around it. And that is really what these new rules are about. Cutting off avenues for Chinese to attain knowledge and ideals that are not approved by the government. The Chinese government does not want cracks in the walls that surround their nation that business relationships can cause to happen. Afterall, the Chinese, more than perhaps any other culture, takes a long term view of things. They want to ensure that over time foreign businesses and interests do not supplant that of the government, and so they tighten their grip and leave foreign investors in an unsavory grey area.
At this point, why would any foreign business invest in China when they can not enforce agreements and protect their intellectual property? The articles both mention the World of Warcraft (WoW). I wonder what Blizzard is thinking at this point considering the articles both allude to the fact that they seemingly will no longer be able to enforce contracts they must have penned with NetEase. I wonder how worried Blizzard is at this juncture regarding what might happen to their game over the next year or two there.
