China is moving to remove an older version of Microsoft's Windows tailored for government agencies, another step in a broader push to cut dependence on foreign technology, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The shift targets customized Windows 10 software that the Chinese Ministry of State Security recently told some state-linked entities to uninstall from their machines.
That moves up the schedule to discontinue the operating system by several months, those people said.
That particular version of Windows 10 is developed by C&M Information Technologies Co, known as CMIT, according to the people, who asked not to be named discussing a politically sensitive matter. CMIT, a joint venture between Microsoft and state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corp, was founded in 2016 to help ensure Windows 10 was compliant with Beijing's security requirements.
Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 10 in late 2025 after the launch of Windows 11. Several Chinese companies, including Kylin Software Co and Tongxin Software Technology Co, have introduced their own versions of operating systems for computers to replace Windows.
China's State Council Information Office didn't respond to a faxed request for comment. The request was sent to that agency because there is no publicly available contact information for the Ministry of State Security.
