Beijing ends Google probe, shifts focus to Nvidia in U.S. trade talks

China has decided to end its antitrust investigation into Google, signaling a strategic shift as trade negotiations with Washington intensify over TikTok and Nvidia, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

The move indicates Beijing is redirecting regulatory pressure toward Nvidia as a bargaining tool in the ongoing trade talks, while closing the Google probe as a gesture of flexibility toward the United States.

According to the report, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, which launched the investigation against Google in February, has dropped the case. The regulator had previously suggested Google might have violated China’s anti-monopoly law but did not provide further details. Google has reportedly not yet been formally notified of the decision.

Earlier this week, Chinese authorities accused Nvidia of breaching anti-monopoly rules following a preliminary review of its business practices. The shift comes amid heightened tensions, with both nations trading tariffs and regulatory measures in recent months. Washington imposed steep tariffs on Chinese goods and threatened to ban TikTok, while Beijing responded with its own tariffs and investigations targeting U.S. tech firms, including Google.