China launches antitrust investigation into Google in reply to Trump tariffs

Google search and internet services are blocked in China. That hasn’t stopped Beijing from targeting the American tech giant with an antitrust investigation, part of a retaliation after US President Donald Trump imposed a 10% tariff on Chinese goods.

“Because Google is suspected of violating the Anti-Monopoly Law of the People's Republic of China, the State Administration for Market Regulation has initiated an investigation into Google in accordance with the law,” the statement on the agency’s website reads.

In other words, Beijing suspects that Google has been acting as a monopoly in the country, even though the tech giant’s services were blocked in China in 2010 after the firm refused to comply with censorship requests from the Chinese government.

This doesn’t mean Google is not present in China: the company still has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. These are needed for ad operations – clients in China naturally buy ads targeted at Western audiences.

Besides, Android is still the most popular mobile OS in China after iOS, and Google continues to offer a few products such as the Chrome browser and Pixel smartphones to Chinese consumers.

The State Administration for Market Regulation, China’s antitrust regulator, might be targeting Google for its fame – and the headlines. But it didn’t give the reason for the investigation.

Separately, China’s Finance Ministry said it would impose 15% tariffs on US coal and liquefied natural gas imports. Levies will also be raised on crude oil, agricultural machinery, and certain vehicles.

Beijing is swiftly retaliating to Trump’s announcement that the US is now applying an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods entering America.

China will also challenge Trump’s new tariffs with a lawsuit at the World Trade Organization. The escalation has sparked fears of a large trade war.

As for Google, the tech giant certainly has faced antitrust troubles at home. In 2024, a federal judge ruled in a landmark decision that Google acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in online search.

A few months later, the Department of Justice indicated that it was even considering a possible breakup of Google as an antitrust remedy, even though it isn’t clear the tech giant will be punished in any way now that Trump, who hates regulation, is at the helm in the White House.