SMIC Shares Rally as Q2 Profit Surges 262% on Strong Chip Demand 
Paramount Weighs CNN Sale as $110B Warner Bros. Discovery Deal Faces Antitrust Fight 
Lenovo Revenue Surges 43% as AI Demand Drives Record First-Quarter Growth 
US Dollar Holds Firm as Fed Outlook and Iran Tensions Keep Markets on Edge 
Asian Currencies Steady as Dollar Holds Firm After U.S. Inflation Data 
Iran War Escalates as US, Houthis Target Ships Near Key Oil Routes 
Trump Imposes New Tariffs on Drone Imports Over US Security Concerns 
Japan Government Backs Earlier BOJ Rate Hike as Inflation Pressures Build 
Gold Prices Rise as Weak US Retail Sales Cut Fed Rate Hike Bets 
Asian Currencies Steady Ahead of US CPI as Oil Prices Rise 
US Dollar Slips as Weak Retail Sales Reduce Fed Rate Hike Bets 
Sanrio Shares Plunge as Q1 Profit Miss Overshadows Strong Sales 
S&P 500 Retreats From Record High as AI Stocks Slide, Retail Sales Disappoint 
Tesla Roadster Reveal Could Feature SpaceX Thrusters in August 
Aviva First-Half Operating Profit Jumps 24% as Direct Line Deal Boosts Growth 
Strait of Hormuz Shipping Near Standstill After New Vessel Attacks 
Oil Prices Slide as OPEC, IEA Cut 2026 Demand Forecasts 
Add as a preferred source on Google
Google confirmed on Monday, Oct. 3, that it had discontinued its Google Translate service in mainland China. The pullout highlighted the end of operation for one of the company’s last remaining services in the country.
According to CNBC, Alphabet’s Google said the reason for the shut down of Google Translate is low usage among Chinese users. Users of the browser will notice that its dedicated mainland China webpage for Google Translate will now redirect users to the Hong Kong version which is not accessible in mainland China.
Google cited the low number of users as its reason, but there could be more that led to its decision. It was noted that the company has a strained relationship with the Chinese market. In fact, in 2010, the company shut down its search engine due to the local government’s very strict online censorship policies.
The stern censorship affected Google’s major services such as its Gmail e-mail service and Google Maps. These were blocked by the Chinese officials citing security.
As a result, the company was left behind in the search engine market and was toppled by local rivals including Baidu search engine and Tencent social media and gaming firm. The two companies dominated the internet scene in the country as they also provide some key services from search to language translation.
The restrictions have led to a decrease in Google users which makes it understandable why it has a very limited presence in the country. Then again, it was noted some of the company’s Pixel smartphones are made in China.
However, it was reported last month that the company already shifted part of its smartphone production to Vietnam. And although its Google Play Store is also blocked in China, it has continued to encourage local developers to produce apps for its Android operating system.
Finally, Bloomberg reported that Google’s move to pull the plug on its Google Translate service comes as the tensions between China and the U.S. have increased and both nations made moves to protect their respective sensitive technologies as well as intellectual property (IP).
