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China said Tuesday it has launched an antitrust investigation into Google, part of a swift retaliation after the U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 10% tariff on Chinese goods.
The probe by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation will examine alleged monopolistic practices by the U.S. tech giant, which has had its search and internet services blocked in China since 2010 but maintains operations there primarily focused on advertising.
“Because Google is suspected of violating the Anti-Monopoly Law of the People’s Republic of China, the State Administration for Market Regulation has launched an investigation into Google in accordance with the law,” the English translated version of administration’s statement read.
Beijing also hit U.S. coal and liquefied natural gas exports with a 15% levy and imposed a 10% tariff on oil and agricultural equipment. Chinese authorities also added Calvin Klein owner PVH Corp. and gene sequencing company Illumina to a restricted entities list, while implementing new export controls on tungsten-related materials.
Trump’s tariffs, which he justified as a response to Beijing’s failure to prevent the flow of illegal drugs, reignited trade tensions between the world’s largest economies just as relations appeared to be stabilizing.
This is a developing story. More to follow.
Manish Singh is a senior reporter at TechCrunch, covering India’s startup scene and venture capital investments. He also reports on global tech firms’ India play. Before joining TechCrunch in 2019, Singh wrote for about a dozen publications, including CNBC and VentureBeat. He graduated in Computer Science and Engineering in 2015. He is reachable on manish(at)techcrunch(dot)com.
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