Microsoft to shutter MSN portal in China in June
Microsoft is shutting down its MSN China portal, company officials have confirmed, following reports in the Chinese press about the pending move.
On June 7, MSN China will cease operations. After that date, visitors to cn.msn.com will see a directory page of Chinese websites along with a Bing search bar, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Microsoft officials maintain the company remains committed to doing business in China, yet offered no official explanation for the MSN closure there.
Last Fall, Microsoft announced a deal with Baidu, via which Baidu.com would become the default home page and search engine on Microsoft's Windows 10 Edge browser for Chinese customers.
In December 2015, Microsoft announced the creation of a new joint venture called C&M Technologies that would license, deploy, manage and optimize Windows 10 for China's government agencies and state-owned enterprises.
Microsoft also continues to offer Azure and Office 365 services in China through a partnership with 21Vianet.
Chinese regulators have been investigating Microsoft for alleged anti-monopoly operations involving Windows and Office for the past several years..