According to a tipster who revealed the information to the media, Google's advertisers in China have been informed that Google may be shutting down by the end of the month. The advertisements on google.cn will be transferred to google.com, and some remaining businesses will be moved to Hong Kong for continued services. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal disclosed that Google would negotiate with several Chinese commissions and ministries. The article mentioned that Google plans to stop censoring the search results for Chinese web pages and sign agreements regarding different aspects of its business in China. Besides operating Google.cn, Google has other businesses in China such as sales and R&D. If Google.cn is shut down, these businesses might still be allowed to operate.
Previously, Google's management stated they were 99.9% sure about exiting the Chinese internet search engine market. Regarding Google's reiteration of their potential exit from China, with a 99.9% probability, some people questioned why it wasn't 100%, but rather 99.9%. In response, industry insiders suggested that this indicates Google still harbors hope to remain in China, despite finding this hope increasingly slim.