Facebook seeks to expand into China

Facebook is still blocked in China, but with the help of Chinese internet company, Baidu, the two giants are looking to release a similar social networking website in China.

Early this month, several meetings with Facebook Chief Executive Office Mark Zuckerberg and Baidu CEO Robin Li have indicated negotiations to create a similar social networking website overseas, though no start date is set, according to Baidu.

The new website will not be linked to Facebook.com according to a report on Sohu.com, citing unnamed Baidu employees.

The average American user spends more than 7 hours each month on Facebook, and out of 203 million Americans who use the internet, more than 116 million log on to Facebook, according to a February 2010 survey by Nielsen.com, a research and information company.

It is obvious why the company is so interested in tapping into the Chinese market, with China's over 450 million Internet users. The process is not easy though, with China's strict internet laws.

The communist party has a strong grasp on the internet in China, banning most social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, as well restricting online gambling and pornography. Sites with anti-communist sentiments are also blocked.

"It's really annoying trying to get in touch with my friends from home when I'm visiting China. No one like paying for long distance calling and everyone uses Facebook. Although a lot of Chinese people find ways around the blocks, it hasn't been that easy for me," says Mei Wu, a 22-year-old business major at UMD.

Websites that do no adhere to China's self-censorship rules, such as YouTube, are immediately blocked from Chinese infrastructure. Google reports that last year the company had enough of the governments rampant censoring. Google removed its search engine from of the country.

Facebook opened its third office in Asia last February, this time in Hong Kong. Zuckerberg suggested that Beijing may eventually welcome Facebook, according to Facebook.com.

"Although I want a deal like this to go through, I hope that the site has access to everyone around the world. I have family in China who I would love to talk to through a site similar to Facebook," says Will Burg, a 38-year-old Greenbelt resident.