The store's launch comes after Google agreed to invest $550 million in JD.com in June 2018. That deal came after Google funded several small Chinese tech companies, most of which specialized in artificial intelligence. Google's search engine has been inaccessible from China since 2010, though the company maintains sales and engineering teams in the country.

A Google spokesman declined to comment. The store's launch comes after Google agreed to invest $550 million in JD.com in June 2018. That deal came after Google funded several small Chinese tech companies, most of which specialized in artificial intelligence. Google's search engine has been inaccessible from China since 2010, though the company maintains sales and engineering teams in the country. The two companies also share several common partners in the United States and Asia.