> And sure, they do have the "great firewall", but it's smart enough to let the science\technology in while filtering the politics out.
That's not true, and given the current trend (everyone gonna use TLS) it is impossible for the "great firewall" to be smarter. For example, HN is blocked in China.
They're good business, they offer more power to China, why would they change that?
And considering they're history, they've probably learned the lesson about the weakness of ignoring global technology.
And sure, they do have the "great firewall", but it's smart enough to let the science\technology in while filtering the politics out.