Google's update of Taiwan map denounced
By Guan Xiaomeng (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-10-19 14:48

Li Xinpei, former president of North Californian Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China, expressed his disappointment with Google's decision to succumb to the Taiwan independence forces.

However, Google spokesman Debbie Frost claimed that this alteration was just a "regular update" of all of the site's map pages rather than a deliberate effort to specially update the Taiwan page.

In spite of that, Li denounced Google's excuse, saying that whatever its intention was, it must bear the one-China principle in mind.

Zhang Shaofu, a Chinese-American scholar, worried that the updated web page may mislead the American people, Google's largest consumer group, giving the impression of an "independent Taiwan." Worse still, the overseas Chinese may develop wrong concepts as the result of the "updated" map of Taiwan.

Many Chinese online readers expressed rejection and displeasure at the removal by Google, with many writing at the popular sina.com and sohu.com chatrooms suggesting boycotting Google's China service.