Microsoft unveils a new version of Windows 10 built for the Chinese government

Microsoft has wrapped up its latest hardware event in China, where alongside the unveiling of the new Surface Pro, a number of existing products were given Chinese releases. The company also unveiled a new version of Windows 10, known as "Windows 10 China Government Edition."

Windows 10 China Government Edition is a modified version of Windows 10 Enterprise Edition, created in collaboration with the Chinese government over the past two years. This version supposedly boasts bespoke high security for the government and stated-owned entities, while retaining the defining features of Windows 10.

The Windows 10 China Government Edition is based on Windows 10 Enterprise Edition, which already includes many of the security, identity, deployment, and manageability features governments and enterprises need. The China Government Edition will use these manageability features to remove features that are not needed by Chinese government employees like OneDrive, to manage all telemetry and updates, and to enable the government to use its own encryption algorithms within its computer systems.

Three customers have already announced their plans to adopt Windows 10 China Government Edition, including China Customs, the City of Shanghai and Westone Information Technology. Lenovo has also announced its plans to preinstall the OS on certain devices going forward.

Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.