Google offers China online deals search tool

Google Inc. said Tuesday it has started offering an experimental service in China that allows users to search for local deals on so-called "group-buying" websites.

The Google service, called "Shihui," is similar to a service offered by Google's main online-search rival in China, Baidu Inc.

"Group-buying sites in China are extremely popular right now," a Google spokesman said."Shihui is in the early stages of development and we'll be working closely with our partners to see what features drive the best traffic to their sites and help users find the offers that are most valuable to them."

Many websites offering deals to users for items such as movie tickets and meals have appeared in China in the last year, including a joint venture between U.S. deals website Groupon Inc. and Chinese social-networking-service provider Tencent Holdings Ltd.

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