BEIJING--Motorola Mobility is to stop working with Burson-Marsteller China as it consolidates international PR duties.

The mobile company has worked with Burson in China for several years. Motorola Asia-Pacific director of communications William Moss confirmed the development to the Holmes Report.

In a separate development, Moss has revealed he is departing China for a global role at Motorola’s global HQ in the US. Moss joined Motorola in 2010 after previously working at Burson-Marsteller China.

It is thought that Motorola’s decision was at least partly influenced by Burson’s high-profile misstep last year, when it secretly tried to place anti-Google reports on behalf of Facebook. Google acquired Motorola Mobility in a $12.5bn deal in 2011.

Moss directed inquiries about the Google situation to the internet company, which had not responded to request for comment as this story went live. The incident has not necessarily resulted in lasting damage for Burson; earlier this year, the firm was appointed as Google’s agency-of-record in India.

Moss added that Burson remains Motorola Mobility's China PR agency "for the moment."

Weber Shandwick has worked as Motorola Mobility's retained PR agency in the North America since 2010. The company’s PR duties are split among several other firms outside the US, including Edelman and Burson-Marsteller. It appears that Weber will benefit in several markets from the international consolidation.

After falling behind several competitors in the wake of its successful Razr handset, Motorola Mobility has returned to relevance in recent years through its Droid series of smartphones and newer Android-based devices. However, the company continues to lag behind more successful smartphone players such as Apple and Samsung.