Google Ends Auto Re-direct from China to Hong Kong Site

Internet giant Google has stopped automatically redirecting mainland Chinese users to its Hong Kong website. Google announced the move earlier this week to help get its Internet Content Provider license renewed. Without the license, Google won’t be able to operate a commercial website in China.

Google announced in January that it would no longer censor search results, and began redirecting users to its uncensored Hong Kong site in March.

Now, internet users accessing Google.cn - Google’s Mainland site - get a landing page with Google’s logo. But clicking anywhere on the page re-directs them to the Hong Kong site.

Google's decision is seen as a technical move to appease Chinese authorities, after officials warned the company that its license would not be renewed if it continued its automatic redirect. Google's license was up for renewal on June 30. There's been no word from authorities so far.