China has reopened antitrust investigations into Google and Nvidia while considering launching a probe into Intel, in what appears to be a strategic response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent tariffs on Chinese goods, according to the Financial Times (FT).
The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced on Tuesday that it had initiated a competition investigation into Google, focusing on the dominance of its Android operating system and its impact on Chinese smartphone manufacturers such as Oppo and Xiaomi. A similar antitrust probe was launched against Nvidia in December, and sources say regulators are now exploring a formal investigation into Intel as well.
The timing of these actions suggests that China is leveraging regulatory pressure on major U.S. tech firms to gain an upper hand in trade negotiations with Washington. President Xi Jinping is expected to speak with Trump in the coming days, and experts believe these investigations could serve as part of China’s broader retaliatory measures.
Liu Xu, a researcher at the National Strategy Institute of Tsinghua University, noted that while using antitrust probes as a bargaining tool could help China counter U.S. trade restrictions, it also risks drawing controversy. Some analysts argue that regulatory pressure may not be the best way to protect Chinese companies impacted by U.S. tariffs.
The revived Google probe had originally been launched in 2019 but was shelved for years before being reopened in December 2024—just before Trump’s inauguration. Regulators visited Google’s Beijing office in January, demanding documents related to the investigation. Meanwhile, Nvidia executives met with China’s Ministry of Commerce (Mofcom) days before SAMR publicly announced its probe into the company, which is accused of violating commitments made during its 2019 acquisition of Israeli firm Mellanox Technologies.
Intel, whose China sales accounted for 29% of its global revenue in 2024, is also under scrutiny. China remains the company’s largest market, making it particularly vulnerable to regulatory action. Meanwhile, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, profits from Chinese firms advertising abroad, despite its search engine being blocked in China.
These investigations could result in substantial fines or restricted market access for U.S. firms, potentially disrupting their operations in one of their largest international markets. While the Biden administration had already imposed stricter export controls on advanced chips, Trump’s tariffs appear to have accelerated China’s regulatory push.
Google and Nvidia declined to comment on the matter, while Intel did not immediately respond to requests for a statement. Chinese regulators, including SAMR and Mofcom, also remained silent when approached for comment.
