Google's services in China are partially blocked. Search queries produced by Google Suggest – which offers possible results as users start to type their query – have been blocked for internet users in China. Normal queries without the suggest feature are unaffected, AFP reports citing a Google spokesperson. The announcement comes amid uncertainty on whether the company's operating licence in China will be renewed. Google recently changed its strategy in China in an attempt to hold on to its internet operator licence. Since January the company has been redirecting visitors to its local portal Google.cn to its Hong Kong site, Google.com.hk, so it can avoid having to filter results from its search engine. However, the Chinese government has indicated that if it continues with this strategy, Google may lose its licence. So instead of automatically redirecting users to the Hong Kong site, Google has started taking a small percentage of them to a landing page on Google.cn that links to Google.com.hk, where users can conduct web searches or continue to use Google.cn services like music and text translate, which the company can provide locally without filtering.
