China to launch investigation against Google over Android - Reuters

China is preparing to launch an antitrust investigation against Google - the authorities of the country will check whether the company used the Android operating system to suppress the free competition of smartphone manufacturers, Reuters writes , citing sources.

The investigation proposal comes from US-sanctioned IT giant Huawei Technologies and has been submitted to China's State Council Antitrust Committee. China believes Google's monopoly position is causing "extreme damage" to Chinese manufacturers, a Reuters source said. According to the agency, the investigation could be launched as early as October.

It is not yet clear which Google services it will focus on. Most Chinese smartphone manufacturers use the open source version of the Android platform, but most of Google's online services (search engine, mail) are blocked in China.

The decision on the investigation will depend on how relations between China and the United States develop, the source told Reuters. The possible investigation will be in retaliation for the US, where President Donald Trump has initiated a slew of actions against Chinese tech companies citing national security risks, including the blocking of WeChat and the possible blocking of TikTok, as well as the blacklisting of Huawei.

Huawei said it missed its $12 billion revenue target for 2019, which the company blames on U.S. actions. In an effort to shed its dependence on Google, the Chinese company even announced plans this month to bring its own Harmony operating system to smartphones next year.