Google makes a move in China market

Google Inc stepped up the pace of its expansion in China, and competition with new equity-market star Baidu.com Inc (百度), by tapping three Chinese companies to sell keyword-based advertisements for its China site.

Google China Enterprise, China Source and Hotsales authorized resellers for Google AdWords on Tuesday, adding China to the roster of locales, including the US, UK and Latin America, where it has reseller programs.

The California-based Web-search giant said the three companies offer national reach to small and medium-sized businesses and high levels of support to advertising clients. All three will receive training from Google, and then they will directly sell price-per-click keywords on Google's China site.

"Through the Google Authorized Reseller program, Google will be able to provide more advertisers in China with a trusted way to access Google AdWords," said Sukhinder Singh, vice president of Asia-Pacific Operations in an e-mailed statement.

The step suggests Google feels it needs knowledgeable, established local players to help it effectively penetrate the Chinese market.