Google Continues Discussions In China Over Maps

[engine]

Google Continues Discussions In China Over Maps [thenextweb.com]

Google is in discussions with the Chinese government as it seeks the granting of a license required to continue to operate its Google Maps service in the country.

[bill]

Here is a different take on the situation. It sounds a bit uninformed and sensational to me though.

Google to return to China after its market share falls [business-standard.com]

American search engine Google chose to apply for licence to operate in China, agreeing to abide by all the conditions imposed by the government here after its share in the burgeoning Chinese market declined to 9 per cent.

Since last year, Google has seen its share of the online mapping market shrink below 10 per cent while that its local rival Baidu Inc soared to 61 per cent, official media reports here said. Google maps were now listed third after Bidu and Mapbar.Com which has over 10 per cent market share, according to the domestic research company Analysys International.

[lorax]

From what I've been reading it seems to me that China is squeezing Google out to make room for Baidu.

[bill]

China has always promoted domestic services over foreign in the search engine market. However, in my personal experience in China, Baidu simply provided better SERPs in Chinese than did Google. So it wasn't simply a matter of domestic vs. foreign SEs.

[Habtom]

Google has got to make tough choices to keep investors happy.

I hope Baidu's search results in Chinese are better ... English results are just awful.

[bill]

When the two were going head-to-head Google's Chinese results are nearly as bad as Baidu's English SERPs.