China is investigating Microsoft for allegedly operating a monopoly in its market, the government said Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
China is investigating Microsoft for allegedly operating a monopoly in its market, the government said Tuesday, as it took aim at the US software giant over business practices.
The move makes the company the latest foreign firm to face Beijing’s scrutiny, in fields from computing to baby milk.
“According to legal regulations, the SAIC (State Administration for Industry and Commerce) has set up a case to investigate Microsoft for alleged monopoly actions,” the agency said in statement on its website.
The inquiry centres on its Windows operating system — which is used on the vast majority of computers in China — and the Office suite of programs, the statement said.
An earlier inspection last year considered allegations by companies that Microsoft bundled its products for sale and failed to disclose information about the software, causing problems with compatibility, it added.
The SAIC could not “eliminate the suspicion that Microsoft’s… actions are anti-competitive”, the statement added.
In May this year, China also banned the use of Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system on all new government computers, amid reports alleging security concerns. That followed the United States indicting five members of a Chinese military unit for allegedly hacking US companies for trade secrets.
The announcement came after Microsoft said Monday that it was under investigation in China, without disclosing details, after state media reported authorities had visited four of its offices.
“We aim to build products that deliver the features, security and reliability customers expect, and we will address any concerns the government may have,” the firm said in a statement.
The probe comes amid what appears to be greater scrutiny of foreign firms doing business in the huge Chinese market.
Last week, state media said China was preparing to announce US chip maker Qualcomm has monopoly status in the mobile phone chip market. The government agency reportedly behind the move declined to comment.
China’s commercial hub Shanghai last week launched a police investigation of a unit of US food supplier OSI Group after a media report saying its Shanghai factory, which supplied fast food giants such as McDonald’s and KFC, used expired meat.
Source: Prothom Alo
