China Mobile Communications and Xinhua News Agency have signed a framework agreement to launch an Internet search engine company.
Xinhua vice president Zhou Xisheng was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying that the joint venture called ‘Search Engine New Media International Communications Co.’ will focus on creating a leading search engine while actively developing other businesses, including the Internet, print media and advertising.
Xisheng said that this joint venture is part of China’s broader efforts to safeguard its information security and push forward the robust, healthy and orderly development of China’s new media industry
The new search engine firm, which is expected to compete with Baidu and Google, will utilise advanced search technologies and recruit world-class talent to offer quality services to customers from home and abroad, the news agency said.
China Mobile vice president Sha Yuejia said that the joint venture will make use of the respective advantages of the two sides to provide attractive and competitive products and services to establish its core competitiveness.
China Mobile, which had 554 million subscribers at the end of June, has already partnered with Xinhua to provide mobile news and audio-visual programs to customers.
