Google expects Android to "flourish" in China

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 17 Mar 2010 at 10:56

Google expects Android to flourish in China, despite the search giant's well-documented problems in the country.

Android was due to be unveiled in China in January, however Google delayed the launch after accusing the country of hacking into its networks, and the email accounts of human right protesters and dissidents in December.

China is obviously another great market in which Android should flourish, so we look forward to that

Rumour had suggested that Google might use its Android mobile OS as a bargaining chip with the Chinese government, but speaking on a webcast, the company's chief financial officer, Patrick Pichette, claimed the company still had high hopes for Android in China.

"China is obviously another great market in which Android should flourish, so we look forward to that," he said, though he declined to offer a potential release date.

Google is currently knee deep in negotiations with the Chinese government, though talks appear to have stalled, with Google claiming it is 99.9% certain to pull out of the country.

The company's advertising partners have called for the company to make its plans for the Chinese market clear, claiming they've been left in limbo.