China is accelerating efforts to end dependence on foreign technology, with reports indicating the Ministry of State Security has instructed select government-affiliated agencies to remove Windows 10 from computers ahead of schedule and transition to domestically controlled operating systems.
The phase-out targets not only standard Windows 10 releases but also the Windows 10 CMIT Government Edition. Developed by C and M Information Technologies (CMIT), a joint venture between Microsoft and China Electronics Technology Group (CETC), this specialized build was tailored to meet strict national security, encryption and data management standards.
The government edition was slated for decommissioning by February 2027 but several key entities have already begun uninstalling the software months early, amid growing national security and data privacy concerns.
While the mandate currently applies to select state-linked entities rather than a blanket ban across all civil agencies, the directive signals a broader push to replace foreign technology – spanning office software, chips, servers, databases and cloud infrastructure – with home-grown alternatives.
Domestic platforms expected to step into the void include Linux-based Kylin OS and UnionTech UOS, alongside Huawei’s HarmonyOS, which is expanding rapidly from consumer devices into enterprise and public sector applications.
HarmonyOS holds a distinct advantage following the safety certification of its HongMeng Kernel desktop version by Chinese regulators in 2026, positioning it as a viable enterprise option for state infrastructure.
China has spent years enforcing policies to curb reliance on foreign tech, including mandatory hardware procurement guidelines favouring “safe and reliable” domestic vendors and increasing Chinese operating system quotas in public tenders.
The move underlines Beijing’s long-term intention to reduce reliance on Western firms. Even with Microsoft offering custom builds that grant local authorities greater control over updates and encryption, China remains determined to construct an end-to-end technology ecosystem under total domestic control.
It remains to be seen how smoothly systems like HarmonyOS, Kylin and UOS can fully replace Windows across large-scale government and corporate networks.