CHINA PERSPECTIVE

Beijing, July 24, 2026. The fine imposed by Brussels on Google, 890 million euros for abuse of dominant position around Google Play and its search engine, is not seen in Beijing as an isolated case. On the same day, the European Commission imposed a fine of 550 million euros on AliExpress under the Digital Services Act, and it is this decision that is focusing the attention of the Chinese government, more than the Google case itself.

China's Ministry of Commerce reacted bluntly on Wednesday, expressing, according to the ECNS agency, "strong dissatisfaction and deep concern" over the European decision. A spokesperson accuses Brussels of "erecting digital barriers under the guise of platform regulation" and adopting "discriminatory measures to restrict and stifle the normal activities of Chinese e-commerce companies in Europe". Beijing demands that the EU "stop abusing its discretionary power by exploiting legal ambiguities" and treat Chinese companies "fairly and impartially", promising to "firmly support" them in defending their rights through legal means.

The Google fine is reported in a more factual manner by the Chinese press in Hong Kong: 460 million euros for favoring its own services (Google Flights, Google Hotels) in search results, and 430 million for preventing app developers from offering free alternatives outside the Google Play Store. European Commissioner for Digital Henna Virkkunen justifies the fine by the desire to "guarantee more competition" and allow "other companies to innovate".

For Beijing, the Google and AliExpress cases outline the same pattern: a European Commission willing to heavily sanction non-European digital players, American and Chinese alike, in the name of its digital sovereignty. While Washington is preparing to respond to the Google case, China is prioritizing legal and diplomatic contestation over the threat of commercial retaliation, while pursuing its scientific cooperation with Brussels in parallel.