Although Google pulled its search engine out of China in 2010, the company has lately displayed more interest in regaining access to the world’s largest internet population. In the years since Google’s exit, local competitors have risen up, including China’s dominant search engine, Baidu. Talks between Google and the Chinese government over the censored search engine began before the start of the recent trade war between the United States and China, one of the people said. By letting Google’s search engine back into China, the Chinese government could give President Trump a political victory, earning some good will. “We welcome a normal Google but not a neutered Google,” said Liu Xingliang, head of research at Beijing-based analytics firm Data Center of the China Internet.

Source: New York Times August 01, 2018 18:11 UTC