Google Shuts Down One Of Its Remaining Services In Mainland China

On October 3, Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, announced the discontinuation of its Google Translate service in China. Users in mainland China have been unable to access the app since October 1; instead, they are led to a general search bar and advised to utilize the Hong Kong version of the service, which is inaccessible from mainland China as well.

Users in Communist China have reported that Google Chrome’s built-in translation feature is no longer available.

According to the source, the pullback in mainland China was brought by its “poor usage”. Even though several Chinese internet businesses provide a variety of translation services, the app nevertheless has a sizable user base in Communist China. The overall number of desktop and mobile user visits to the service in Communist China in August reached 53.5 million, according to web analytics provider Similarweb.

The suspension of Google’s translation service in the mainland market is another move by the US tech giant to withdraw one of its few remaining services from China.

Google announced its exit from the mainland Chinese market in January 2010 due to a targeted cyber-attack by the CCP and disagreements with the government’s enhanced control over online expression. The CCP then blocked Google’s mainland services. However, after a seven-year hiatus, Google Translate was able to return to the mainland in March 2017. Many users in Communist China lamented the loss of Google Translate on social media.