Google left the mainland Chinese market long ago and all of its services are blocked there.
The most likely explanation is that some mainlander inside Google has been pushing for this with the "this is racist and hurting the feelings of the Chinese people" argument.
> ...we can just use Google to find information that directly contradicts your claim.
Not really. Google hasn't returned to the mainland market. Youtube is blocked.
That little bit of developer interaction or Project Dragonfly - whatever its state may be - does not contradict that.
If you believe this sort of censorship is ordered from the top in order to get back into the mainland market, that's fine. I still prefer my explanation.
The most likely explanation is that some mainlander inside Google has been pushing for this with the "this is racist and hurting the feelings of the Chinese people" argument.