BEIJING — Chinese access to Google’s search engine grew more restricted with some sensitive searches blocked altogether Tuesday as the fallout from its decision to redirect mainland users to its uncensored Hong Kong Web site threatened to undermine the Internet giant’s ability to cling to its hard-won Chinese market share.

The move was already reverberating across the Pacific. Google said Tuesday it would delay rolling out in China mobile applications that run on Android phones after its Chinese partners faced government pressure to pull out of deals with Google.

Chinese Internet and mobile-services provider Tom Online, run by one of Asia’s wealthiest businessmen, Li Ka-shing, also announced it would stop using Google’s search engine.

With the latest transpacific row, it was unclear whether the Hong Kong site will be blocked or Google will be allowed to continue its other operations and partnerships with Chinese companies.

Google said Monday it hopes to keep a sales team, research and development operations and a burgeoning stake in cell phones in China. Analysts say the attempt at business as usual underscores how much Google still wants to succeed in the world’s largest Internet and cell phone market while taking a stand against government censorship.

So far, the dispute between the technology giant that wants to spread information and the government that wants to limit it is not spilling over into already strained diplomatic ties between China and the United States.

“The U.S.-China relationship is mature enough to sustain differences,” National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Tuesday that Beijing should consider the implications of one of the world’s most recognizable institutions deciding it’s too difficult to do business in China.

At a regular Foreign Ministry briefing Tuesday, spokesman Qin Gang declined to say whether Google’s new approach was legal and if Google would eventually be blocked in China.

“The Chinese government administers the Internet according to the law,” Qin said.

 

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