Google's loss is really Baidu's gain

BEIJING - Chinese search engine Baidu Inc on Thursday said it benefited from Google's partial exit from the country and anticipates more customer gains in the next few quarters.

Analysts, however, said that Google's bleeding might slow in the second quarter, as mainland users' continued access to the Google Hong Kong site may ease advertisers' concerns.

Robin Lee, chief executive of Baidu, said the company benefited from Google's decision to move its search engine to Hong Kong last month. "We have seen more confidence and higher customer loyalty since the end of last quarter," Lee said during a conference call on Thursday.