Is Google About to Make a China Comeback?

Google may soon be making a big comeback to the Chinese Mainland, the South China Morning Post reports.

The search engine giant, which pulled out of China in 2010 over censorship rules, is reportedly in talks with the government to return, according to a lawmaker familiar with the matter.

“China has been in touch with Google through various channels. Last year, leaders of our country’s important department had further communication with Google,” said Liu Binjie, a National People's Congress Committee Member and former head of the General Administration of Press and Publication.

Among the services considered "high priority" for re-entry is Google Scholar, a search engine for academic literature. Liu told the SCMP that "academic progress" is China's main focus, rather than news, information and politics. 

READ MORE: Google Seeks Return to China with Censored App Store

Liu hinted that parts of Google's services would return to China, followed gradually by others. He also said that “service functions that do not involve [politically] sensitive information" are being negotiated.

But don't get your hopes up just yet — there's no timetable in place for Google's big comeback.