City to host Google's return?

• Source: Global Times
• [09:09 September 07 2010]
• Comments

Chinese industry insiders, however, soon after began speculating that Google would resurface on the mainland, regretting its chance to cash in on the country's 6.96 billion-yuan ($1 billion) Internet search engine industry.

Google China added fire to the debate when it managed to renew its Internet content provider license in July, a requirement needed to legally operate on the mainland, and when it advertised 26 job positions online for employees in Shanghai and Beijing weeks later, which included jobs in the fields of research and development, marketing, sales and human resources.

Meanwhile, Cao Junbo, chief analyst of iResearch, a Chinese market research firm that focuses on the IT and telecommunications sectors, said that if Google is to return, the move will only work if the company is able to fully satisfy officials that it will respect and adhere to Chinese laws and regulations. 

"Google must strike a balance between their own interests and the cost of doing business on the mainland, if they're seriously thinking about heading back this way," he told the Global Times Monday.

Cao said that Google might not back down easily.

"It might be a hard decision for the company to swallow, but not many firms are willing to give up on the entire Chinese market."

Wang Jinhong, chief officer of public relations for Google China, was unable to comment on the situation when contacted by the Global Times Monday.