Josh Horwitz

Search giant Google is reportedly developing a search engine for the Chinese market that would be compliant with Beijing’s strict censorship regime. If launched (and there’s no guarantee it will be), it would mark a return to the country for Google after it shuttered its initial China-facing search engine, Google.cn, in 2010 amid concerns about censorship and cyberattacks. Google has continually declined to comment on the reports.

Google shut down its search engine in China in 2010 amid concerns over government censorship, cyberattacks, and stiff competition from domestic rival Baidu. Now, it’s allegedly mulling a return—and Baidu’s CEO has fighting words for the Silicon Valley giant.

Google appears to be making a concerted attempt to return to mainland China, where it has largely been absent after it shuttered its search engine in 2010 due to concerns about censorship and cyberattacks. The search giant has plans to launch a search engine, a news aggregator (paywall), and cloud services in China, according to reports in recent days. Having a well-connected Chinese tech ally might help.

Over the past week, news surfaced revealing Google’s plans to launch a search engine, a news app, and cloud services in mainland China. The tech giant has largely been absent from the country since 2010, when it shut down its search engine due to concerns about censorship and cyberattacks.

In cities across the United States, startups have flooded curbs and street corners with electric scooters that pedestrians can rent out and ride around, typically for just a few dollars per ride. Led by three California companies—Bird, Spin, and Lime—the emerging sector offers internet-connected scooters managed through smartphone apps and GPS trackers.

The Intercept reported yesterday (Aug. 1) that Google has, since at least last year, been developing a search engine that would deliver results compliant with China’s strict censorship regime. Such a product could enable a bona fide reentry into China for the tech giant. Google shuttered its China-facing search engine in 2010 due to concerns about censorship and alleged cyberattacks, and authorities went on to block access to most of the company’s consumer-facing services.

This story was updated on Aug. 2 with new details from Starbucks and Luckin Coffee.

Last week, armies of robots landed in the city of Shenzhen—China’s paradise for hardware manufacturing—and shot pellets at one another in a cocoon-like stadium. As many as 10,000 people were in the stands cheering for the teams controlling them. The contest marries laboratory engineering with battlefield tactics—and it might become a phenomenon among engineering students worldwide.

An explosion occurred today outside the US embassy in Beijing. About an hour later, things were back to normal.

The trade spat between the US and China has rattled companies making a wide range of products, from aluminum to flamethrowers. But if one product has surfaced again and again in this tussle, it’s one we never see yet use all the time: the semiconductor.

This is a big year for Chinese tech IPOs. Smartphone maker Xiaomi just completed one of the largest listings ever on Hong Kong’s stock exchange, and other big floats are expected from finance giant Ant Financial, mega-streamer Tencent Music, and “services” seller Meituan.

Internet TV streaming services have hit a milestone in Britain.

Only three episodes into its run, China’s version of Saturday Night Live appears to be no more.

Xiaomi’s first week of trading in Hong Kong has been affected for better and for worse by the swings of Chinese markets regulators.

When the US Trade Representative announced it was considering tariffs on an additional $200 billion (pdf) worth of Chinese imports, affecting a range of goods including handbags, rocks, and seafood, it said the action came as a result of China issuing retaliatory tariffs last week, instead of changing its ways.

Starbucks’ second-largest market after the US is China, where it has over 3,300 stores and operates with virtually no serious competition.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi debuted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange today (July 9)—closing the day at HK$16.80 (US$2.14), giving it a market capitalization of about US$50 billion.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi began trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange this morning (July 9), in what amounts to one of the largest IPOs in recent years. In a case of very bad timing, its debut comes just three days after a trade war between China and the US began in earnest, with the imposition by both countries of tariffs on $34 billion in goods imported from the other.

When Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi begins trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange Monday (July 9), investors will be betting on whether founder Lei Jun can deliver on his unusual three-pronged business model.

India’s top mobile browser. Hong Kong’s Uber for logistics. China’s second-largest bike-sharing service.

The US government wants you to know, doing business with certain Chinese companies might threaten state security. But ask why, and you’ll find it hard to get a specific answer.

For the past several months, the most-downloaded shopping app for the iPhone in China hasn’t been Alibaba’s Taobao or Tmall. Nor has it been from JD.com, the e-commerce giant known for lightning-fast deliveries.

When Xiaomi filed for its Hong Kong IPO in May, speculation was rife that the Chinese smartphone maker could be valued at as much as $100 billion. Now that the offer’s been priced, it’s taken a bit of a haircut.

When internet users in China log on to Amazon, they see a design that largely mirrors the site’s international versions. What they also encounter, unbeknownst to most, is a piece of China’s internet history.