Why is China investigating Google for antitrust?

(CLO) China announced an investigation into Google as tensions between the world's two leading economies increase.

China announced a series of retaliatory measures against the United States on Tuesday, including tariffs on imports of coal, liquefied natural gas and crude oil. It also launched an antitrust investigation into Google and added two other U.S. companies to its unreliable entity list, which could bar them from investing in China.

Google's relationship with China

China and Google have had a long and complicated relationship since the early 2000s.

In 2006, Google launched a Chinese-language search engine, google.cn, which complied with Beijing's censorship regulations. By 2009, the platform had about 36% of the search market share in China.

However, in 2010, following a cyberattack and disagreements over censorship policies, Google announced it would stop censoring search content and closed google.cn, redirecting users to the company's Hong Kong website.

In response, the Chinese government has completely blocked Google services, including Gmail, the Chrome browser and search engine, in its Great Firewall censorship system. Currently, users in mainland China cannot access Google as well as many other Western platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

Does Google still operate in China?

Despite the blocking of key services, Google maintains a presence in China, focusing on its advertising business, Google Cloud, and enterprise solutions. The company currently has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

Why is China investigating Google?

China's State Administration for Market Regulation announced it was launching an antitrust investigation into Google. While it did not provide details, the announcement came shortly after a 10% tariff imposed by President Donald Trump took effect, prompting speculation about political motives.

What is the impact on Google?

It is not yet clear how the investigation will affect Google, but some experts say it could focus on its Android operating system, which dominates the smartphone market.

"Google is currently under scrutiny, but this is still in the investigation phase. No decision has been made, and there is still room for negotiation," said John Gong, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics.

Huawei, after being placed on the US entity list in 2019, developed the HarmonyOS operating system to reduce its dependence on Google.

Previously, Google also faced accusations of violating antitrust laws in many other countries such as the European Union, South Korea, Russia, India and Türkiye for abusing its market position.

Ha Trang (according to Xinhua News Agency, China Daily, AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/vi-sao-trung-quoc-dieu-tra-chong-doc-quyen-doi-voi-google-post333000.html