Yahoo pulls out of China

Yahoo has pulled out of China, the US tech firm confirmed on Tuesday, citing the country’s "increasingly challenging" business and legal environment.

In a statement, Yahoo said: "In recognition of the increasingly challenging business and legal environment in China, Yahoo’s suite of services will no longer be accessible from mainland China as of 1 November.

"Yahoo remains committed to the rights of our users and a free and open internet. We thank our users for their support."

The move is the last step in a gradual reduction of its operations in China, a market it first entered in 1998. As of last week it had just a weather app and some pages showing news articles in foreign languages, Reuters reported. Its Beijing office was shuttered in 2015, and its music and email service stopped in the early 2010s.

Yahoo’s decision echoes a similar move by fellow US tech firm Microsoft, which last month shut down its networking platform LinkedIn in China, citing "a more challenging operating environment and greater compliance in requirements".

Beijing is looking to curb the powers of internet companies and has introduced new laws ranging from content to privacy.

Yahoo was sold by Verizon Communications to private equity firm Apollo Global Management for $5bn in May.