What Could Have Been: A Second Look at the Google-China Deal

What Could Have Been: A Second Look at the Google-China Deal 

(Navigating Cross-Cultural Negotiation)

Posted by: Winnie Tsai and Wen-Min Chew

In the high-stakes world of tech diplomacy, what happens when the ideals of the West and East clash? Between 2006 and 2010, Google’s attempt to break into China’s colossal internet market collapsed under the weight of censorship, cyberattacks, and cultural misalignment. Beyond a mere business deal, this breakdown in relations marked a turning point that deepened the divide between Eastern and Western visions for the internet. But was failure inevitable?

In our video, we explore what really went wrong in the original Google-China negotiation: from clashing core values to missing ZOPAs, broken communication norms, and neglected relationship-building. Drawing from negotiation theory, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, and real-world events, we unravel the structural reasons for the collapse.

Then, we reimagine how events could have played out differently if both sides had applied stronger negotiation strategies, cross-cultural intelligence… and a bit more humility.

Expect a mix of analysis, humour, and a redo of history! Could bicultural brokers, interest-based bargaining, and guanxi have saved the deal? Watch to find out ;)

References: 

• Boyle, S. (2025, February 15). Revealed: Google facilitated Russia and China’s censorship requests. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/15/google-helped-facilitate-russia-china-censorship-requests

• Fisher, R., Ury, W., & Patton, B. (1991). Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving in. Penguin Books.

• Herbig, P., & Gulbro, R. (1997). External influences in the cross‐cultural negotiation process. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 97(4), 158–168. https://doi.org/10.1108/02635579710173248

• Katrin Hussinger, & Palladini, L. (2024). Information accessibility and knowledge creation: the impact of Google’s withdrawal from China on scientific research. Industry and Innovation, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/13662716.2023.2298293

• Liu, Q., & Zhang, Q. (2020). A Study of the Differences between Chinese and Western Cultures from the Perspective of Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Theory. East African Scholars Journal of Education, Humanities and Literature, 3(4). https://doi.org/10.36349/EASJEHL.2020.v03i04.006

• Petrosyan, A. (2024, July 30). Topic: Internet Usage Worldwide. Statista; Statista. https://www.statista.com/topics/1145/internet-usage-worldwide/#topicOverview

• Sheehan, M. (2018, December 19). How Google took on China—and lost. MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/12/19/138307/how-google-took-on-china-and-lost/

• Thomas, D. C., & Kerr Inkson. (2009). Cultural intelligence: living and working globally /. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.