The Commerce Ministry has issued its most recent export control documentation utilizing indigenous WPS software, rather than the American-developed Word program.
Official Chinese documents are reportedly beginning to substitute the ubiquitous, US-developed Microsoft Word file format with a domestic counterpart, as reported by the South China Morning Post. This transition occurs against a backdrop of escalating trade and technological tensions between Beijing and Washington.
The Commerce Ministry’s declaration last week regarding rare earth export regulations was published solely in the native WPS format, identified as a Chinese-developed alternative to Microsoft Office, the publication stated on Monday. This marked the initial occasion that documents from the ministry were not directly accessible via Word or any other US-produced software.
Last Thursday, China unveiled fresh limitations on the export of specific strategic minerals, which possess both civilian and military applications, citing national security concerns. These new provisions expand existing licensing mandates and align with previous actions taken earlier this year to enhance oversight of advanced technological materials.
US President Donald Trump countered by menacing to levy an additional 100% tariff on goods imported from China and indicated that Washington might curtail the exportation of “any and all critical software.”
Foreign software companies, such as Adobe and Citrix (now known as Cloud Software), have been progressively withdrawing from China. Microsoft has likewise ceased operations at its AI research facility in Shanghai and closed all its brick-and-mortar outlets across mainland China.
Reports indicate that in September, regulatory bodies instructed prominent Chinese enterprises to discontinue testing and procurement of Nvidia’s AI chips. The Financial Times reports that Chinese chip manufacturers are endeavoring to increase the nation’s overall production of AI processors threefold.