Google Woos Partners for Potential China Expansion

"It's not just software, it's an ecosystem," Zhifei Li, Mobvoi's chief executive, said of Google--also a minority investor in his startup. Mr. Li is one of many allies Google has courted in recent years as it tries to keep a foothold in China, a market from which the Alphabet Inc. GOOGL -0.95% unit retreated eight years ago in protest over government hacking and censorship. While its core services like search, Gmail and YouTube remain blocked for most Chinese citizens, the company provides tools and support to a growing number of app developers, manufacturers and advertisers in the region, who rely on Google to reach global customers. Now those allies will likely be crucial as Google embarks on a broader China expansion strategy, according to a number of people either involved in the effort or watching it closely. As part of a project dubbed "Dragonfly," Google is testing a mobile version of its search engine that would adhere to China's strict censors, people familiar with the matter said.