 "File image/AFP")
China has announced that it will no longer conduct an anti-trust investigation against Google six months after it was launched, as talks over a potential TikTok deal with the US ramp up.
According to a report by the Financial Times, the State Administration for Market Regulation has said that it will terminate the competition probe against Google, a status known as “zhongzhi” in Chinese.
The investigation into Google, formally launched in February, focused on the dominance of its Android operating system and how it affects Chinese smartphone manufacturers like Oppo and Xiaomi that rely on the software. The decision marks a strategic shift by Beijing, which is now redirecting its regulatory efforts toward Nvidia, the world’s most valuable chipmaker, as a potential bargaining chip in ongoing US-China trade negotiations.
The dropping of the case is being seen as a positive signal to Washington, showing that Beijing is open to negotiations, a person told FT. “Drop one case but seize the other. China is trying to narrow its retaliatory targets to make them more potent,” another person said.
What’s the status of TikTok deal?
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump announced that he has reached a deal with China about the sale of TikTok.
“We have a deal on TikTok. I’ve reached a deal with China. I’m going to speak to President Xi on Friday to confirm everything up,” Trump told reporters.
Trump’s announcement came a day after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that a “framework agreement” had been reached with China regarding TikTok. Separately, Trump also teased the deal on Monday. In an apparent reference to TikTok in a Truth Social post, he said that “a deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our country very much wanted to save”.
Yesterday, Trump signed an executive order to extend a delay on banning TikTok for another 3 months, despite announcing a deal with the video-sharing platform. This is the fourth such postponement of a law designed to force the app’s sale from its Chinese owner.