China has retaliated against U.S. tariffs by launching an antitrust investigation into Google. The announcement was vague but accused Google of violating antimonopoly laws. Google, whose search engine is unavailable in China due to censorship restrictions, operates in the country in a limited capacity, focusing on helping Chinese companies connect with international customers and audiences.
Despite not offering its core products in China, including its search engine, YouTube, and Play Store, Google provides its Android mobile operating system to Chinese phone makers and allows Chinese companies to advertise on Google and YouTube outside of China. The company has a complicated history in China, having pulled its search engine out of the country in 2010 due to censorship concerns and a cyberattack from Chinese hackers.
In 2018, Google attempted to re-enter the Chinese market with a censored search app called Dragonfly, but faced backlash from employees and ultimately abandoned the project. The company also opened an artificial intelligence center in China but later shut it down and clarified that it was no longer conducting A.I. research in the country.
The antitrust investigation by China could impact Google’s operations with Chinese companies and add to the tech giant’s regulatory challenges around the world. Google has faced scrutiny from antitrust authorities in several countries, including the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South Korea. The company has yet to provide a comment on the Chinese government’s investigation.
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image of the presented article.
