Google's attempt to escape the stigma of self-censorship in China by “off-shoring” its local search engine to censor-free Hong Kong is a creative way to deal with a difficult problem. But it was never likely to be the end of the story, and judging by early angry reactions from Chinese officials, the toughest decisions are still to come.
Sending search queries to Hong Kong has the merit of forcing the Chinese authorities to do their own dirty work if they want to filter the results coming back to the mainland and keep information from their own people. If transparency is one antidote to the abuse of power, then this is one small way in which Chinese citizens will get a clearer idea of the limits on their freedom.
For Google, the move is long overdue. Whatever the final straw that led to its change of position over China – whether it was the well-publicised cyberattacks from inside the country, disillusionment that the censorship situation has not improved, or just weariness at investing large amounts with little to show for it – it is a welcome development. As its partial retreat now shows, Google was wrong to assume at the outset that it could open up the Chinese internet by working from the inside.