Reuters: China prepares antitrust investigation into Google for abuse of power

China is preparing to start an antitrust investigation into Google, according to sources from Reuters news agency. The company allegedly abuses its dominant position with the Android mobile operating system. According to two sources from Reuters news agency, the investigation was proposed last year and has since been submitted to the Chinese market watchdog. This Chinese watchdog may come in October with a decision whether to proceed with a formal investigation into Google. The decision could be influenced by the current relationship between China and the U.S. If the investigation continues, China would consider, among other things, whether Google’s market position could cause “ extreme damage ” to Chinese companies like Huawei. The loss of Google’s support would lead to a loss of confidence and revenue, one source said. Reuters reports that Huawei fell $ 12 billion below its revenue target last year, which the company says is due to US sanctions. an attempt to ban TikTok in the US, although the latter has since been postponed until after the election. The US cites “ risks to national security ” as the reason for these sanctions, and China is also currently reviewing its antitrust laws with some proposed changes. For example, the maximum fines would be significantly increased. The criteria for assessing a company’s dominance may also be expanded, with China looking to previous examples from Europe and India, according to Reuters. Europe fined Google € 4.34 billion in 2018 for abuse of power with Android. India is investigating whether Google is abusing its own mobile payment method.