China is concluding an antitrust investigation into Google, a move reported as a tactical shift in its ongoing trade negotiations with the United States. According to a Financial Times report, the decision to drop the probe, which was launched in February by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, signals Beijing’s willingness to show flexibility to Washington. This development comes as talks between the two nations have intensified, particularly concerning the social media app TikTok and the chipmaker Nvidia.
The closure of the Google investigation represents a strategic pivot in Beijing’s regulatory approach. By ending this probe, China is redirecting its focus and leveraging pressure elsewhere, notably toward U.S. technology firm Nvidia, which was recently accused of violating China’s anti-monopoly law. This shift is seen as a calculated move to gain bargaining power in the complex trade discussions between the world’s two largest economies.
The initial investigation into Google alleged that the company was suspected of violating China’s anti-monopoly law, though specific details of the alleged breaches were never publicly disclosed. The Financial Times reported that Google has not yet been formally notified of the decision to terminate the probe. Google, along with the relevant Chinese regulatory bodies, declined to comment on the report when contacted by Reuters.
This diplomatic maneuvering occurs against a backdrop of heightened trade tensions that began six months ago when U.S. President Donald Trump imposed significant tariffs on Chinese goods, later reducing them to 30%, and threatened to ban TikTok. In response, China implemented retaliatory tariffs and initiated antitrust probes into major U.S. companies like Google, indicating a strategy of using regulatory scrutiny as a tool in the broader trade dispute.
