Facebook is Trying Extremely Hard to Get into China and China is Like ‘Nah’

Alongside Twitter, Facebook was blocked in 2009 when the Chinese government blamed social media for ethnic unrest. According to local reports, riot leaders in the Muslim-dominated Xinjiang region used social networks to cause tension.

Many believed that the ban was only temporary, but it turned out otherwise as China still keeps the social network behind the “great firewall” to this date.

Facebook reportedly tried several strategies to win China back. Since the ban, Facebook has courted government officials, hired a China-policy chief and started working on tech that supports the country’s position on censorship, the Wall Street Journal said.

CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg even joined the board of Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management. In 2015, he delivered a speech in Mandarin at the university.

In the same year, Chinese authorities gave Facebook a license to open an office in Beijing. However, it reportedly lasted for only three months, leaving executives sad and frustrated.

Last year, Zuckerberg made headlines after doing a “smog jog” through famous Beijing landmarks Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven.

And, more recently, he tried his best to make dumplings for Chinese New Year.

But Facebook may not give up just yet. Speaking to analysts in 2015, Zuckerberg said:

Spokeswoman Debbie Frost said the social network is still learning:

If Facebook succeeds in returning  to China, it will face stiff competition against local services WeChat, Weibo and QQ.

Should Facebook even continue its goal to get into China?