Zuckerberg visits China - Facebook meets Baidu

Zuckerberg visits China - Facebook meets Baidu

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, met with Baidu's CEO Robin Li during a visit to China on Monday. Baidu is China's largest search engine. Baidu confirmed the Zuckerberg visit and talks with Li and senior staff, but did not disclose the nature of the discussions.

Facebook is currently blocked in China, one of the world's largest online markets with some 440 million users online. The Chinese government routinely monitors and blocks internet sites with politically sensitive content in what is termed the "Great Firewall of China". Baidu is the country's largest search engine with a 73 percent market share, well ahead Google which commands just 21 percent.

It is understood that Zuckerberg holds a strong personal interest in China, and has been taking daily Chinese language lessons. His girlfriend is Chinese and has family in the country. The Facebook founder had confirmed in an interview with Time magazine that he would be visiting China over the holidays.