Chinese web services company Baidu Inc. is reported to be investing $600 million in Uber Inc. to assist the ridesharing service’s expansion in China.

Uber will receive cash and non-cash assets as part of the deal, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg, who broke the story.

The tie-up with Baidu will give Uber a local partner with both knowledge on the ground, and more importantly eyeballs; Baidu operates the Middle Kingdom’s largest search engine and a wide range of other services. It is accurately described by many as the Google of China.

Baidu is said to be sending out invites for an announcement on December 17th, when it promises to reveal which “U.S. startup that is now a household name” it’s teaming up with.

“Uber needs a local player like Baidu that really understands the Chinese market,” analyst Li Yujie told Bloomberg. “Baidu is trying to promote its mobile payment system, Uber would help it gain more traffic and boost its location-based services.”

It’s some rare good news for Uber, who has been beset by nearly daily bad news stories. The company has been banned in a growing list of countries, faces legal action in California and Victoria, Australia, is defying the military junta in Thailand, and is facing a criminal negligence charge in India after an Uber driver allegedly raped a passenger.

The percentage ownership stake Baidu will take in Uber under the deal is not clear, however based on a valuation of $41 billion following a round of $1.2 billion early December Baidu’s stake would likely be around 14-15 percent.