Google executive says company is committed to Hong Kong amid fear of search engine pull-out over potential protest song ban

The US tech giant’s government relations team is working closely with Hong Kong authorities, says Kathy Lee, Google Cloud’s managing director for Greater China

Concerns are growing that the world’s largest search engine operator may exit Hong Kong, as the city’s officials seek a ban on a popular protest song

Reading Time:2 minutes

A Google executive says the company is committed to serving the Hong Kong market through its cloud business. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:30pm, 15 Jun 2023

A senior Google executive in Asia said the US technology giant remains committed to Hong Kong, after the city’s bid to ban a controversial protest song sparked concerns that Western internet platforms may opt to leave the Asian financial hub.

Kathy Lee, Google Cloud’s managing director for Greater China, told the South China Morning Post on Thursday that the company’s government relations team is working closely with Hong Kong authorities, and that its cloud computing unit is committed to serving the city.

Lee, who spoke to the Post on the sidelines of an industry summit hosted by Google, is not an official company spokeswoman. The Mountain View, California-based firm said in a press release about the event that it wants to help “make Hong Kong a smarter digital city” through its cloud business.

Fears are growing that the world’s largest search engine operator may exit Hong Kong, as the city’s officials seek a court order to prohibit the online circulation of “Glory to Hong Kong”, a controversial protest song made popular during anti-government unrest in the city in 2019.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok last week applied to Hong Kong’s High Court for an injunction to prevent anyone with criminal intent from “broadcasting, performing, printing, publishing, selling, offering for sale, distributing, disseminating, displaying or reproducing” the song “in any way”.

The Hong Kong government’s move followed a series of anthem-related mix-ups during overseas sport tournaments, when “Glory to Hong Kong” was played instead of the Chinese national anthem “March of the Volunteers”.

Google refused a request by Hong Kong authorities last year to ensure that the Chinese national anthem appears as the top search result for certain keywords, saying it would not manually manipulate organic web listing. It pledged to continue to engage with the government and explain how its platforms and removal policies worked.