Sources: China orders some state-linked entities to uninstall a government-tailored version of Windows 10, ahead of its February 2027 retirement timeline (Bloomberg)

Peking, China is accelerating its plan to make government bodies independent of US software, according to Bloomberg. The Chinese Ministry of State Security recently instructed several state-affiliated institutions to remove a specially developed version of Microsoft Windows 10 from their computers, according to insiders cited by the news agency.

This move is seen as an indication of Beijing's growing unease with the use of US software. The affected Windows 10 version was developed as part of a 2016 joint venture between Microsoft and the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group, which tailors the software to meet Beijing's security requirements. Initially, Microsoft planned to phase out the software by February 2027, but the sudden directive has caught many government employees off guard, especially as it came only a few weeks before a scheduled meeting between US President Donald Trump and China's leader Xi Jinping.

The concern appears to be centered around data security, though no specific vulnerabilities were mentioned. Microsoft stated that it is unaware of any security incident affecting the affected product and continues to receive regular security updates. Neither the Chinese State Council Information Office nor the Cybersecurity Information and Technology Technical Committee responded to inquiries.