Google may try to continue with operations in China, even if it shuts its search engine down due to censorship. Keep in mind, Google is more than just a search engine and censoring search results doesn’t always come into play in all the other aspects of its business.
According to the New York Times, Google will be talking with Chinese government officials soon, which will more than likely decide the fate of Google’s operations in the country.
“In most countries, Google draws the majority of its revenue from ads that appear on its search engine, but the No. 1 source of revenue in China comes from ads that Chinese companies place on Google’s sites in the United States,” reports Miguel Helft with the Times. “A person knowledgeable about Google’s business in China said ads that run on a network of Chinese Web sites are the company’s second-largest source of revenue in the country. Google can retain both of those if it is allowed to keep a sales force and advertising network there.”