Google To Power Search On China's Xunlei Downloading Service

Google has signed a deal to provide the search engine for Xunlei, a Chinese download service for videos, games, and other content.

The company said in a statement Friday it plans to finish deploying its search technology within the peer-to-peer service early this year. In addition, the companies agreed to cooperate on marketing and product development. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

The announcement was Google's second this week involving a Chinese company. Google also has agreed to provide search technology to China Mobile, the country's largest wireless provider. Using Google, subscribers would be able to search the carrier's mobile portal for a variety of content, including sports, entertainment, news, ring tones, games, images, and video.

In the latest deal, Google has bought a stake in Xunlei through a partnership with Ceyuan Ventures, a Shanghai-based venture capital firm, the state-owned China Daily reported. Google wasn't immediately available for comment.

As a popular service in China, Xunlei provides Google with an "excellent platform" for its search products and services, Kai-Fu Lee, corporate VP and president of Google in China, said. "We believe through this cooperation our innovative technologies will bring the best user experience to more Chinese users."

Google's push to become a bigger search player through partnerships follows its failure so far to dominate the market in China like it does in the United States. Homegrown Baidu leads the Chinese market by a wide margin, with Yahoo coming in second and Google third, according to consulting firm Analysys International.