China Further Bullies Microsoft

There's been no shortage of news coming out of China since the country's raid of Microsoft offices in search of evidence for antitrust issues. The Chinese government has been on a steady march against the software company for over a year. If you're interested in catching up, we've been covering it HERE on WindowsITPro for the duration.

In the latest news tidbit to release in the continuing Microsoft versus China episode, government officials released a public statement to warn Microsoft to not impede, or obstruct, investigations. There's been no evidence that Microsoft is fighting the investigation, so you might think it silly for China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) to issue such a voluntary statement.

The email statement is strange enough, stating that Microsoft has promised to respect Chinese law and fully cooperate, yet warns against any obstruction, but it's necessary. The statement is meant solely as a bullying tactic. It's similar to how a dog owner might tell his pet to "heel" when it sees a runner approaching – just in case. We'll just have to wait and see if Microsoft receives a "good dog" when the proceedings complete.

Full details are here: China regulator says Microsoft should not obstruct anti-trust probe, Reuters