China said it was opening an antitrust probe into Google, part of a series of actions Tuesday that also included tariffs on U.S. coal and liquefied natural gas imports as well as restrictions on the export of certain metals.

China's antitrust investigation into Google, which does not offer most of its consumer-facing services including search and email in the country, seems to make little sense on the surface, but analysts said the move could be seen as a warning shot to the US and a threat to the Android operating system.

China has announced a flurry of retaliatory measures against the U.S., including tariffs on imports of products such as coal, liquefied natural gas products and crude oil, as well as an antitrust probe into Google.

The actions include 15% tariffs on U.S. coal and liquefied natural gas imports, as well as raising levies on crude oil, agricultural machinery and certain vehicles.

The quarter before, for instance, Alphabet beat Wall Street’s EPS estimates by nearly 15 percent, as the chart below from Public.com illustrates.  Notably, Alphabet also announced $75 billion in capital expenditures for 2025 to continue investing in artificial intelligence.

Chinese regulators revived their antitrust investigation into Google, following a similar probe into Nvidia announced in December 2024. The move came after Washington imposed tighter restrictions on Nvidia's advanced chips,