Facebook's Zuckerberg: 'We have to carve off China'

If you've given up on Facebook ever being unblocked in China, it might be time to reclaim some hope. 

Shanghaiist picked up an interview by Jessica Livingston with Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg where he talks about the company’s expansion plans for China, a market that has been notoriously difficult to crack for Western Internet companies.

“We have to carve off China,” says Zuckerberg. “That one is extremely complex and has its own dynamics ... Our theory is that if we can show that we as a Western company can succeed in a place where no other country has, then we can start to figure out the right partnerships we would need to succeed in China on our terms." 

Zuckerberg continued that the company doesn’t have immediate strategic plan for international growth. So far the site has grown organically, taking off in seemingly random countries, without much input from the company. 

But it is still to win over users in some significant markets: China, Japan, South Korea and Russia.

According to Inside Facebook, the website had only 14,000 active users in China at the end of 2009, down from a million in July.

When asked if Chinese censorship is an issue for the company -- a hot button issue as seen with Google -- Zuckerberg said the company is ready to roll with the punches, citing their policy in Germany of blocking content about Nazism in accordance with government regulations.

If people were still doubting Facebook's interested in China, Zuckerberg made his commitment to the mainland clear, regardless of its censorship issues, explaining, “How can you connect the whole world if you leave out 1.3 billion people?”

Fair point.

Zuckerberg's commitment to China (he’s even taking daily Chinese lessons) has made news in the mainland, especially in the form of his Chinese-American girlfriend.