Google's rift with China is a calculated business risk

Link to the article: BBC News

Google's move into China four years ago was billed by some people as a battle between the irresistible force and the immovable object.

The inexorable expansion of the internet - epitomised by Google - would never exist happily in a command economy like China, said critics.

By taking its search engine onto Chinese soil - and thus agreeing to Beijing's censorship rules - Google was accused of trading reputation for profit.

On Monday, however, Google pulled its search facility out of mainland China, redirecting users to an uncensored site in Hong Kong.

What now for both profits and reputation? Has it shut the door on the world's biggest internet market?

The Great Firewall

China has hit back at Google, limiting its citizens' use of the search facility through web filters that are collectively known as the Great Firewall.

And some of Google's business partners are already starting to distance themselves from the company.