Web search leader Google is planning to boost its presence in China by tying up with a Chinese online music company to provide free music downloads, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.The report, quoting people close to the situation, said Google was in the late planning stages of a venture and will likely offer access to tunes from three global music companies as well as dozens of smaller brands.
The service could start in the next several weeks barring any last-minute problems, it said.
The move would come
Google representatives were not immediately available for comment.
China's search engine market reached $131 million in the fourth quarter--almost double from a year earlier, according to a research firm.
Baidu led the market in the fourth quarter with a 60.1 percent share, said Analysys International, while Google came in second with a 25.9 percent share,
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