14 DAY TRIAL // Chinese government officials yesterday paid an unexpected visit to local Microsoft offices without providing a clear reason for this, making everyone wonder if this was related to the growing tension between China and the United States.
Now new reports are emerging, pointing out that Microsoft offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu have been visited by Chinese officials as part of a new anti-trust investigation that could be started against the Redmond-based tech giant.
Little is known at this point, but it appears that the Chinese government is taking more steps to protect local companies, as they fight against the domination of firms based overseas.
In China, the National Development and Reform Commission is investigating anti-trust cases involving pricing violations, while the Ministry of Commerce is the one giving the green light to acquisitions. At this point, it’s not yet clear which one is investigating Microsoft.
In May, the Chinese government decided to ban Windows 8 on their computers, in a move that became one of the biggest hits received by the Redmond-based software giant in this particular market.
Microsoft was quick to respond to this ban, explaining that it’s willing to discuss with the Chinese government to address any complaints and bring Windows 8 back on their computers.
“We were surprised to learn about the reference to Windows 8 in this notice. Microsoft has been working proactively with the Central Government Procurement Center and other government agencies through the evaluation process to ensure that our products and services meet all government procurement requirements. We have been and will continue to provide Windows 7 to government customers. At the same time we are working on the Window 8 evaluation with relevant government agencies,” a company spokesperson told us soon after China announced the Windows 8 ban.
At the same time, China is developing its very own Linux-based operating system, so the new anti-trust investigation could be part of a broader plan to push users off Microsoft software.
Earlier this month, reports coming from China indicated that the central government blocked access to a number of online services, including Microsoft OneDrive, in order to prevent news of local pro-democracy protests from spreading across the web.
Qualcomm is already facing anti-trust trouble in China, as the local government is ready to issue a fine of more than $1 billion (€730 million) on claims of overcharging and monopoly on the Chinese market with a number of products.