China has unveiled a new government-run search engine that will square off against market leader Baidu.

Launched today and operated by telecom company China Mobile and state-run news agency Xinhua, Panguso will let people search for news, Web sites, images, videos, and audio, according to Xinhua. Mobile phone users will also be able to tap into Panguso directly and send search results to their PCs via SMS.

The partnership between Xinhua and China Mobile to build a new search engine was first revealed last summer. Xinhua’s role will be to supply the news and information, while China Mobile will deliver behind-the-scenes technology and provide the mobile piece for China’s growing number of cell phone users. More>>