Google closes its Translate in China

The tense relationship between Google and China

Google currently has a limited presence in China. While some of its hardware, including its smartphones, are made in China, The New York Times reported last month that a good chunk of Pixel phone production has moved to Vietnam.

The change is due to two main elements. The first is growing concerns around geopolitical tensions and the second is supply chain disruptions that have greatly impacted the Chinese market.

However, this story of misunderstandings did not begin a few months ago, but for more than a decade. In 2010, the tech giant decided to withdraw its search engine citing strict government censorship of online services.

This decision allowed the growth of local competitors, such as Baidu, which is the second most used search engine worldwide (because it monopolizes the Chinese market of more than 1,000 million users), and WeChat, an app owned by Tencent that It has multiple functions, from social network to payment tool.