China Opens Antitrust Probe into Google

The announcement follows heightened trade tensions stemming from US President Donald Trump’s recent tariffs on Chinese goods.

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has initiated an investigation into alleged antitrust violations by Google. This action, publicized Tuesday, coincides with escalating trade friction sparked by President Trump’s new tariffs on Chinese imports.

While SAMR provided no specifics regarding the investigation, no direct connection to the tariffs was explicitly stated. Google’s presence in China is limited; its services are blocked, and expansion efforts have faced obstacles due to government support for domestic rivals, cybersecurity concerns, and difficulties complying with Chinese content moderation rules amidst Western criticism of Beijing’s censorship.

Google possesses substantial experience navigating global regulatory scrutiny, including in the US. A US federal court ruled last August that Google holds a monopoly, leveraging its dominance to suppress competition in the search engine market.

In the EU, Google has incurred multi-billion euro fines from the bloc’s regulator and several member states for antitrust breaches. Earlier this month, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority launched an inquiry into Google’s advertising practices.

Trump’s imposition of additional 10% tariffs on Chinese goods, ostensibly part of emergency measures targeting illegal immigration and drug trafficking (primarily aimed at Mexico and Canada), prompted immediate retaliation from Beijing. China retaliated by implementing tariffs on American energy resources, agricultural equipment, and certain vehicles, and filed a WTO complaint.

China also implemented export restrictions on several strategically important minerals—tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum, and indium—essential for advanced manufacturing, though it avoided directly linking this action to the escalating trade dispute.