China: Microsoft just struck a big deal with Beijing

Microsoft has struck a deal with a Chinese technology company to sell its new Windows 10 operating system to the country’s civil service, the company said late on Wednesday.

The new joint venture, which is subject to regulatory approval in China and is provisionally called C&M Information Technologies, will see Microsoft and its partner China Electronics Technology Group, license, deploy, manage and optimize Windows 10 for China’s government agencies and state owned enterprises. The joint venture will provide support and services for the customers.

The move comes as Microsoft looks to improve its image in the world’s second-largest economy. U.S. companies in China received a bad reputation after National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden alleged that foreign products were being used for spying. And last year, China’s antitrust regulator conducted new raids on Microsoft’s offices in China.

“We’ll continue to keep Windows 10 secure and sustain our strong privacy standards, while recognizing that public sector solutions may differ from technology offered to private sector enterprises and consumers around the world,” Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of the Windows and Devices Group at Microsoft said in a blog post.

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