China’s Central Government Procurement Center, citing Microsoft’s shutdown of Windows XP security support on April 8, issued a notice this week banning use of the Windows 8 operating system (OS) on new desktops, laptops and tablets by government agencies. Personal machines are not affected by the ban.

The Windows XP shutdown comes thirteen years after the launch of XP, and deprives XP users of ongoing security updates against attacks by hackers and computer viruses.

As Windows XP still enjoys wide use in China, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua has stated “The Chinese government obviously cannot ignore the risks of running OS without guaranteed technical support”, in response to the shutdown. “It has moved to avoid the awkwardness of being confronted with a similar situation again in future if it continues to purchase computers with foreign OS.” According to a Microsoft spokesperson, the ban from China also includes an online message prohibiting bids from Windows 8 for government contracts.

Microsoft has officially responded to the notice and expressed their desire to continue providing assistance in reaching a solution.

Read more: wikinews.org