谷歌(Google)前中国业务主管李开复表示，谷歌相对于百度(Baidu)的技术优势已经减弱，这突显出西方互联网公司在全球网民最多的互联网市场正面临越来越多的挑战。
李开复在接受英国《金融时报》采访时表示，除非西方互联网公司在中国建立更敏捷、更灵活的当地业务，并保持强大的技术优势，否则它们在中国市场没有机会。
“跨国公司（必须）聘用合适的高层人才，并赋予他们权力，使其具有（在中国）胜出所需的灵活性，”李开复表示。他在一年前辞去谷歌大中华区总裁职务。
“另一条途径是拥有遥遥领先于其他所有人的技术。谷歌曾经拥有一些这样的优势，（但是）百度的技术现在已经足够好了。”
李开复表示，百度、腾讯(Tencent)和阿里巴巴(Alibaba)等中国互联网公司很可能保持各自在中国市场的压倒地位，而它们的美国竞争对手则被有关中国的种种疑虑所牵制。
李开复发表此言之际，过去8个月明显改变了中国战略的谷歌，在中国的市场份额出现下滑。“人们必须评价其总方程，他们对这个国家的不自在程度，他们对于自己能够成功的信念，市场在多大程度上有利可图，他们的政策有多大灵活性，他们有多少资金，”李开复表示。“他们必须权衡所有这些因素。显然目前这些方面未能统一。”
李开复不愿评论谷歌与中国政府的对峙，以及谷歌在中国的前景。在李开复领导下，谷歌在中国建立了本地搜索服务，接受自己不得不按照北京方面的要求，对搜索结果进行自我审查。但在过去两年，随着中国政府提出越来越广泛的审查要求，该公司开始质疑这种模式。
李开复于一年前辞职，转而建立自己的互联网初创企业孵化器。谷歌用两名高管接替他，分别负责研发以及销售和营销，这二人直接向公司的美国总部汇报。
今年，谷歌表示将不再遵从北京方面的审查要求，即使这意味着退出中国。自今年3年以来，谷歌将中国内地用户重新定向至其香港站点，那里不受中国网络审查制度的管辖。
李开复以美国电子商务公司亚马逊(Amazon)和团宝网(Groupon)为例，说明西方互联网公司能够在中国拥有优势。他将在周一宣布首批得到“创新工场”(Innovation Works)扶持的中国初创科技企业。创新工场是他现在领导的高科技孵化企业。
具体项目包括一种基于谷歌Android、面向中国市场的手机操作系统，以及一款让用户可以在手机上编辑照片、然后将其上传至社交网站的应用软件。
译者/和风
http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001034471
Google’s technological lead over Baidu has eroded, the company’s former China head has said, highlighting the increasing challenges western internet companies face in the world’s most populous internet market.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Kai-fu Lee said western internet companies had no chance in China unless they build a more nimble and flexible local presence and retain a strong technological edge.
“Multinational players [must] hire the right senior people and empower them to have the flexibility to win [in China],” said Mr Lee, who resigned as president of Google’s operations in China a year ago.
“Another way is if you have a technology that’s way ahead of everyone else. Google had some of those things [but] Baidu became good enough.”
Mr Lee said Chinese internet companies such as Baidu, Tencent and Alibaba were likely to retain their stranglehold on the Chinese market as misgivings about China held their American rivals back.
His remarks come after Google saw its market share in China slide following a radical change in its approach to the country over the past eight months. “People have to evaluate their overall equation, their level of discomfort with this country, their belief they can be successful, how lucrative the market is, how flexible they are with their policies, how much money they have,” Mr Lee said. “They have to balance all those things. Clearly, today, those stars are not aligned.”
Mr Lee declined to comment on Google’s stand-off with the Chinese government and its prospects in China. Under Mr Lee, Google built a local search service in China, accepting it had to self-censor search results as required by Beijing. But following increasingly extensive censorship demands from the Chinese government over the past two years, the company started questioning that model.
Mr Lee resigned a year ago to set up his own internet start-up incubator. Google replaced him with two executives in charge of research and development, and sales and marketing, who report to the company’s US headquarters.
This year, Google said it would no longer comply with Beijing’s censorship demands even if that meant leaving China. Since March, Google has been redirecting mainland Chinese users to its Hong Kong site, where Beijing’s restrictions do not apply.
Mr Lee cited Amazon and Groupon, the US e-commerce companies, as western internet companies that could have an edge in China. He will announce on Monday the first series of Chinese technology start-ups fostered by Innovation Works, the technology incubator company he now heads.
The projects include an Android-based mobile phone operating system for the Chinese market and an application that allows users to edit photos on mobile phones and upload them to social networking sites.
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