Beijing, Aug 15: In an attempt to end the monopoly of global software giant Microsoft, major Chinese ministries today started upgrading its domestic software, by using the latest edition of WPS Office software made in China.

Fifteen Chinese ministries, including ministry of commerce, ministry of foreign affairs and ministry of state security, will be the first users of the new edition of WPS Office software, the leading Chinese newspaper, 'People's Daily', reported today.
An official of the state assets supervision and administration commission, Fei Lin, told the ruling communist party's mouthpiece, that his experience indicated the WPS outperformed overseas-made office software in document typesetting.
The government began to encourage the use of locally produced software last year in a bid to support the local software sector and protect state information security.

Gao Zhigang, an official of the procurement centre of the state council, was quoted by the official newspaper as saying more than one third of the Chinese ministries and commissions used Chinese-made software.



The WPS system was the only product which experts said would challenge the overwhelming dominance of the Chinese market by Microsoft Office.



The Chinese government began to purchase WPS Office 2002 in last year's government procurement, becoming the biggest user of the software developed by Kingsoft Office software.



The governments of Beijing municipality, South China's Guangdong province and east China's Zhejiang province also use the 2002 edition of the software, the report said.


Bureau Report