The Financial Times reported that the acquisition will be a significant one for Microsoft, who lost out on an earlier procurement offer last year after Chinese commentators claimed it was discouraging to local software companies, who themselves said the deal had been mismanaged.
The newspaper also suggested that the failure of this first attempt may account for the silence from both Beijing and Microsoft over the new agreement, in a move that goes against China’s Law on Government Procurement which demands that large government purchases must be open and transparent.
