Google Struggles in Chinese Market

Filed in archive Best of on December 29, 2011

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A year ago a public feud with the Chinese government over censorship forced Google to move its search functions to Hong Kong, and the conflicts between the company and the government continue today. This has been highlighted by recent disruptions of Google's free Gmail service and threats to its online map business within the country.

However, the bigger problem facing the company in China may be that its share of China's search market has plunged. An opinion piece in China's People's Daily official newspaper expressed the government's view of the company as a modern British East India Company that once sold opium in the country. It declared that Google is not just a search engine tool, but a tool to extend American hegemony. Google vows to remain in China regardless, but its struggles underscore the obstacles that Silicon Valley internet companies face in a market where the free flow of information is still viewed as a political threat.