China: Revelations in Microsoft probe only lead to more questions

When reports emerged late last month that Microsoft is now the subject of an antitrust investigation by Chinese regulators, little information was available about why, exactly, the company was targeted.

But with new information trickling in about the probe, some new questions arise.

According to reports, Chinese officials raided Microsoft offices in four major cities on July 28; the next day, officials launched an antitrust investigation into the company, Windows and Office.

The nation’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce first began eyeing the company in June following a complaint that Windows and Office products caused compatibility and document verification issues. Reports say there were also complaints of bundling practices Microsoft uses with the products.

But reports say it is unclear exactly how these complaints related to matters of competition in the industry. More likely, some experts say, the probe is more closely related to political tensions between China and the US, and China’s distrust of Western spying through technological companies.

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