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Comment by pavlov | Hacker News Reader

I think language and writing system also plays a significant role in the emergence of Chinese native web giants. It's not just about Google getting kicked out; they probably would have had a very hard time adjusting their Western product for the local market. (Google tends to think of their products as "universal", and that doesn't quite work in China.)

Look at Russia. They don't have Chinese-style technical or political protections to keep Google out, yet the market is dominated by local players like Yandex and Mail.ru.

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Russia does not have political protections? http://www.reuters.com/video/2015/08/06/russia-destroys-seve...

Yes, of course they do, but the mode of operation is very different.

Obviously the Russian government exerts control over Google's Russian operation, but it's not explicit like in China. This has meant Google can continue to operate in Russia without losing face ("do no evil" and all that), whereas it wasn't possible in China.

Your link is about the Russian trade embargo, which is not directly relevant... But it does illustrate the huge difference between Chinese and Russian trade politics. China keeps tight reins internally on content and communications, but wants to ensure the free flow of material imports and exports.

China wouldn't allow an external political disagreement to disturb relations to the extent that Western imports would be banned. At least I can't imagine French cheese being burned by the tonnes in Shanghai...

Of the major economies, Russia is the most directly controlled, more so than China. Putin is a dictator when it comes to most of the economy, he determines everything by fiat. The Russian government seized control, through direct violence or the threat of violence, of nearly every major industry across the whole country. There isn't a single major industry they don't control. You can't do anything of economic consequence without first making a deal with Putin's government.

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