- Google (GOOG, GOOGL) is courting allies in China by providing tools and support to a growing number of app developers, manufacturers and advertisers who rely on the company to reach global consumers, even as its core services such as search, Gmail and You Tube remain blocked for most Chinese citizens, WSJ reports.
- Those allies could prove critical as Google launches a broader China expansion strategy, including testing a mobile version of its search engine that would adhere to China's strict sensors, according to the report.
- By working with local players, Google seeks to build the case that it is helping China’s economy - and provide customers-in-waiting for additional services it sells, such as cloud hosting and business apps.
- Launching a search engine is far from certain and hinges on the approval of China’s authorities and faces backlash from U.S. critics, including six U.S. senators who have said the effort risks “making Google complicit in human rights abuses related to China’s rigorous censorship regime.”
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