Google Teams With Chinese P2P Website

Google has struck a partnership with a Chinese peer-to-peer file downloading service, Xunlei Networking Technologies of Shenzhen.

The partnership will give users of the Xun Lei service easier access to Google search services and multimedia content via a search link on Xun Lei’s homepage, the companies said Friday. The deal also involves marketing development and product cooperation.

The companies did not provide financial details of their partnership.

In January 2006, Google launched a Chinese version of its search engine, filtering search results to comply with Chinese government restrictions. It made the move because the level of service it could offer users in China from its main search site at www.google.com was not great, the company said at the time.

Despite Google’s efforts to appeal to Chinese users, local rival Baidu.com continues to lead the Chinese market, however.

Google announced another partnership in China on Thursday, this time with the country’s largest mobile phone operator, China Mobile Communications. That deal will make Google the default search engine on China Mobile’s mobile portal.

-Peter Sayer, IDG News Service (Paris Bureau)