Just as it has promised to abide by Chinese laws, Microsoft should not “interfere [or] in any way hinder” the antitrust probe, warns the Chinese regulators on Monday.
The State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) has cautioned the software giant that any kind of hindrance would be a bad move, to “ensure an objective and impartial investigation,” into antitrust practices.
The government agency, ensuring competition in the marketplace, made it clear to Reuters in an emailed statement that Microsoft has “promised to respect Chinese law and fully cooperate” for the investigation.
A spokesman for the SAIC said that the agency has questioned Microsoft’s lawyer, Deputy General Counsel Mary Snapp, at the regulator’s offices on Monday.
It’s not clear about why SAIC has issued the warning to Microsoft, however, it is said to be most likely a pre-emptive step in the investigation course. As of now, there isn’t evidence that the software giant has interfered in the investigation.
The warning follows the recent unannounced visits by about 100 Chinese officials at the Microsoft’s Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu offices. According to the Wall Street Journal report, the agency said that the Redmond hasn’t disclosed relevant information about certain security features and how its software products are tied together.
Chinese authorities have been increasingly suspicious lately about the US based technology companies, in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations about the National Security Agency’s digital spying programs. Microsoft, in particular, has been the subject of a wide scrutiny with the government also banned the use of Windows 8 operating system in official systems.
A Microsoft spokeswoman in Beijing refused to comment on the report. However, the company previously said that it has designed its business practices to comply with Chinese law and also pledged to co-operate with the investigation.
