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Why has Google shut down its Translate app in China?
In 2010, Google had pulled its search engine from China because of the mainland regime's censorship of internet content. Google had made its translation service available to the users in China in 2017 through a dedicated website and smartphone app.
Search engine giant Google has shut down its Translate app for China. Its web page now shows a photo of a generic search bar which redirects to Google's Hong Kong translation site, Bloomberg reported.
A spokesperson for the tech giant said the Google Translate in mainland China has been discontinued due to low usage. In 2010, Google had pulled its search engine from China because of the mainland regime's censorship of internet content.
According to a New York Times report in 2010, Google had said that the hackers in China had stolen some of its source code and even broke into the Gmail accounts of some Chinese human rights advocates.
The Mountain View-based search provider's other services like Google Map and Gmail are also blocked by the Chinese government. China's local search provider Baidu and social media platform Tencent have been dominating the local internet landscape. It had made its translation service available to the users in China in 2017 through a dedicated website and smartphone app.
According to a CNBC report, Google had mulled re-entering the Chinese market with its search engine but shelved the plan following backlash from the employees as well as politicians.
The American businesses are now caught in the recent tensions between the US and China over the Taiwan issue. According to a Bloomberg report, Google's rival Apple is now trying to reduce its dependence on China, and has now started manufacturing some iPhone 14 models in India. It's supplier Foxconn Technology has recently agreed to a $300 million expansion of its production facilities in Vietnam.
According to the report, US firms had directly invested $90 billion in China at the end of 2020, and added another $2.5 billion in 2021, as the per the data compiled by the Chinese commerce ministry. The actual toll is higher as analysts predict some businesses have route some investments through Hong Kong, or via tax havens like the Cayman and Virgin Islands.
(With Bloomberg inputs)
