Foreign big tech companies are withdrawing from the Chinese market one after another due to stricter regulations and censorship by authorities, with Google deciding to stop translation application, Google Translate services launched in China five years ago.
According to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 3rd, access to the Google Translate app has not been made in mainland China since the 1st. When you search for Google Translate apps on Chinese search sites such as Baidu, the phrase “I can’t find them” appears, and when you search for Chinese translation apps on Google website, you are guided to bookmark Hong Kong’s website.
Google declared its withdrawal from China in January 2010 due to concerns over excessive censorship and online hacking by China, called the “Great Firewall,” and the Chinese government blocked Google access.
Then, it was observed that Google will return to the Chinese market by launching a translation app service in China in March 2017.
SCMP said that Google’s suspension of translation app services at a time when most services such as search engines, YouTube, and app stores are blocked by China’s control system means it is virtually withdrawing from China, the world’s largest Internet market.
Not only Google but also foreign big tech companies are trying to step out of the Chinese market.
Amazon has decided to operate e-book sales and operations of “Kindle,” which accounts for 65% of China’s e-book terminal market, until June 30 next year. If Amazon suspends its service, it will not be able to download the previously purchased e-books to the Kindle device.
Nike also stopped jogging app “Nike Run Club” (NRC) and exercise app “Nike Training Club” (NTC) in the Chinese market since July. Although the suspension of the jogging app, which is used by 8 million people, was said to be a management reason, it is analyzed in the aftermath of China’s implementation of the Personal Information Protection Act and the Data Security Act. In addition, Airbnb, the world’s largest accommodation sharing platform, suspended its business in China at the end of July, and LinkedIn, Microsoft’s job information service, also closed its business last year.
