Good Morning Hong Kong: No Censorship of Google for Chinese Users

The day after Google removed from China to Hong Kong, we already have confirmation that Hong Kong will not assist China in censoring Google's search results, even though the results will be available to Chinese users. Here is a synopsis from BusinessWeek: 

"Hong Kong says it won’t help China censor Google Inc., after the search engine provider said it would route mainland users through its site in the city.

Hong Kong respects freedom of information and its free flow, a spokesman for the city’s Information Services Department said yesterday, declining to be identified as a matter of policy. There are no restrictions on access to Web sites, including access to Hong Kong-based Web sites from China, he said.

While China regularly blocks content from Web sites outside its borders, Hong Kong’s reaction illustrates the autonomy it enjoys under the 'One Country, Two Systems' policy that guided its 1997 return to Chinese sovereignty. Hong Kong’s constitution, the Basic Law, guarantees freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom and privacy of communication.

The government’s response to Google’s move yesterday 'highlights Hong Kong’s advantages,' said David Zweig, a political scientist at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. 'It’s worth reminding people that they can come to Hong Kong because of ‘One Country, Two Systems.'

Thirteen years after the Hong Kong handover, Beijing has done little to meddle in management of the city -- home to Asia’s third-largest stock market by capitalization, 34 billionaires and the world’s third-highest office rents."