What search partner for Yahoo China?

Is Yahoo! China going to follow Yahoo! Japan in choosing Google as search partner?

The question could have seemed awkward a few weeks ago but it is now a topical issue. Indeed, despite a global search alliance between Microsoft and Yahoo! Inc, Yahoo! Japan! announced latest week its intention to team up with Google for search and ads.

Like Yahoo! Japan, Yahoo! China is not controlled by Yahoo! Inc. and operates as an independent entity. It can therefore choose another search partner than Microsoft's search engine Bing.

Yahoo! China unlikely to choose Google

Yahoo! China search service is currently powered by Yahoo! in the US. Given Bing's tiny market share in China, Yahoo! China could decide to go for another search provider.

Google could come as the first choice since it leads the search market worldwide. However, the US firm faced a lot of problems in China this year, notably because it refused, after a serious hacking episode, to filter search results in order to comply with Chinese regulations.

After redirecting all queries from its Chinese site to its unfiltered Hongkongese site, Google decided in July to stop automatically redirecting its Chinese users and created a dedicated page on google.cn. After China's government gave Google the permission to continue its activities in China, things have cooled down a bit, but the situation still seems unstable.

Yahoo! China currently filters search results, so it is difficult to imagine Yahoo! China teaming up with Google.

Local Chinese search providers?

Others possibilities are offered to Yahoo! China such as going with local Chinese search providers like Baidu, Soso and Sohu (Sogou). The Chinese providers all have censored local search services that could fit into a deal with Alibaba Group which owns Yahoo! China.

Alibaba to develop search technology by itself?

Last possibility would be developing a search technology by itself. For now, Alibaba hasn't said anything on the subject but it doesn't seem that the eCommerce giant is interested in doing so. Indeed, Alibaba Group, has pitched Yahoo! China site as an entertainment-oriented portal.