China has announced it will launch an investigation into Google for suspected anti-monopoly violations, after the US imposed a 10% tariff on Chinese goods.
China's State Administration for Market Regulation said the US tech giant was accused of violating the country's Anti-Monopoly Law and an investigation has been officially launched in accordance with the law.
Currently, Chinese authorities have not released further details about the allegations against Google.
Google pulled its Chinese search service from the mainland in 2011, moving its servers to Hong Kong. By 2014, Beijing had also completely blocked the Gmail email service, eliminating the last remaining means of access to Google's platform.
In addition to Google, China has also added two US companies to its "unreliable entity" list: fashion conglomerate PVH Corp, which owns the Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein brands, and biotechnology company Illumina. China's Ministry of Commerce said the move was to "safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests."
