Groupon Gearing Up for Chinese Launch

Local deals Web site Groupon is reportedly preparing to launch operations in China, a move that would catapult the young U.S. company into the tech-savvy nation.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, an office in Beijing affiliated with Groupon has been conducting job interviews.

The office operates Gaopeng.com, a Web site listed as registered by someone at Internet giant Tencent Holdings, a 10% holder in Digital Sky Technologies, one of Groupon’s backers, according to the paper.

Groupon has been the target of takeover bids as demand for its services continues to mount in the niche market. Tech giant Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) geared up for a $6 billion acquisition of Groupon last year, though the offer was rejected.

Despite positive opinions about Groupon in the West however, the Web site has been criticized in Asia for a satirical Super Bowl commercial about Tibetan food.