Microsoft built China's Windows. Beijing just killed it early

A custom Windows, built to be dropped

In 2016, Microsoft and China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), a state-owned giant, created C&M Information Technologies (CMIT). Their product: a special Windows 10 edition for Chinese administrations, embedding security tools developed in China and stripped of features that clashed with local rules.

A decade later, Beijing wants it gone before its time. The Ministry of State Security ordered public agencies to remove the edition ahead of its planned February 2027 end of life. The official reason: data security. The reports give no further detail on the risks.

"This massive shift completely cuts dependency on US-made proprietary software in government infrastructure."

The news broke on August 21, 2026. Günter Born noted the original deadline had been February 2027. Anand Achanta framed the move as a geopolitical pivot, with China following Europe out of the Microsoft stack. The full writeup comes from Developpez.com, signed by Patrick Ruiz.

Linux takes the seat

The replacements are domestic and Linux-based. Kylin OS, from Kylin Software, and UOS, from Tongxin Software Technology, both run the Linux kernel. One distinction matters: Kylin OS is not Ubuntu Kylin, the Ubuntu flavor aimed at Chinese consumers since 2013. The general public is untouched; the order targets the administrative edition only.

Europe already went this way

China is not the first. France's DINUM is working on Linux distributions for its administrations. Germany keeps multiplying initiatives to swap Windows for Linux and Microsoft Office for LibreOffice, and has banned Microsoft Office formats in administrative documents in favor of ODF and PDF/UA.

The pattern is unmistakable: governments no longer accept foreign proprietary software at the core of state infrastructure. Microsoft co-signed its own exit when it created CMIT with CETC in 2016. The custom edition was a bridge. Beijing just decided the bridge ends early.