Pengji could be key to Google's return

A previously unheralded shell company that Google Inc registered in Shanghai a year ago could become a key component in the United States search engine's possible reboot in China.

The company, Pengji, is registered in a high-rise office building in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, a testing ground for the central government to try out economic reforms.

According to information from the website of local authorities, the Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commerce, Google Ireland Holdings - a European subsidiary of the multinational - is listed as its sole-shareholder.