What is at stake, with China’s no -confidence investigation in Google?

China on Tuesday retaliated against Tariff from the United States, targeting American companies. With the implementation of tariffs and import restrictions, the country said, it launched a no -confidence investigation in Google.

The announcement of the investigation was unclear – just a line on the website of a Chinese agency. But it emphasizes Google, whose discovery engine is unavailable in the middle of a geopolitical dispute in China and is added to the company’s long list of regulatory headache.

A Google spokesperson refused to comment on the Chinese government’s investigation.

Google has the world’s most widely used search engine, and also leads the market for digital advertising. The company has faced no -confidence investigation worldwide including the United States, Canada, Europe and South Korea.

However, it is still not clear how China’s antimonopoly probe will develop, it can affect Google’s behavior with Chinese companies. Here is more about the company’s limited operation:

What did China announce?

State Administration, for China’s Antitrest Authority, market regulation, said it planned to investigate Google. The authority accused Google of violating an antimonopoly law without providing any additional details.

The same body has been investigating Nvidia, the veteran of American chip on the antitrust ground since December.

Is Google not banned in China?

Google’s main products in China are unavailable due to the country’s sensorship sanctions. The company’s search engine, video platforms YouTube and Play Store for apps are all unavailable in the country.

Does Google work in China?

Google said it has a limited presence in China, focusing on most of its activity to help Chinese companies connect with customers and audiences outside the country. This includes providing Android, its mobile operating system to Chinese phone manufacturers like Lenovo, Xiaomi and Vivo. Android code is an open source, so phone manufacturers can use it at any cost.

The Silicon Valley company allows Chinese companies to advertise on Google and YouTube outside China. Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo’s international branch Temu has flooded Google with advertisements for inexpensive goods to achieve more customers in the United States. A Chinese -dressed company Shin also advertises Google services outside China.

How has Google’s relationship with China developed?

Google has a difficult history in China. The company took out its search engine out of China due to government censorship in 2010 and what the company said was a cyberrtack from Chinese hackers who were trying to get access to the email accounts of human rights activists.

Google co-founder Sergei Brin said at that time that the company Objection to China’s “totalitarian” policies When it came to censorship, political speech and internet communication.

But as China’s Internet increased, Google was wooed to jump back. In 2018, the company was developing a search app for China called Dragonfly, which censored the information banned by the Chinese government. The project inspired resentment among Google employees and in 2019, the company said it had stopped the attempt.

Google also opened a center for Artificial Intelligence in China in 2017, saying that “AI has no limit to science.” Two years later, the company closed the center and emphasized that it was no longer operating AI research in China.