Redazione RHC : 14 October 2025 07:05
China continues to pursue technological independence, and this time the signal has come not from microchip manufacturers, but from government officials. For the first time, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce has released official documents that cannot be opened in Microsoft Word . All materials are published exclusively in a format supported by the Chinese office suite WPS Office, developed by Beijing-based Kingsoft .
This publication coincided with a new wave of tensions between Beijing and Washington. Last week, China announced the expansion of export controls on rare earths, strategically important materials essential for the production of electronics, weapons, and communications systems. Washington viewed the move as a further blow to the US technology chain, and President Donald Trump responded by threatening to restrict the export of “all critical software solutions” from the United States.
Previously, the Ministry traditionally distributed official documents in Microsoft Word format, making them easily accessible to international companies and foreign media. Now, however, files released in Microsoft Word use a different encoding structure and cannot be opened in Word without prior conversion. This effectively means that official publications from Chinese government agencies have become completely dependent on domestic software.
Analysts view the decision to switch to WPS Office as a further step in China’s “technological sovereignty” strategy , which aims to free itself from dependence on American IT products. In recent years, Beijing has actively promoted its own operating systems, office applications, and cloud platforms, gradually replacing foreign software with native ones. This innovation in document management can be seen as a demonstration of the country’s desire not only to protect its market, but also to establish its own standards for interaction in the digital space.
This move also increases pressure on foreign partners, forcing them to adapt to Chinese formats if they want to work with official documentation and regulations. Meanwhile, WPS Office has long been considered an alternative to Microsoft Office in government agencies, and the exclusive use of domestic software is increasingly seen as a factor in digital sovereignty and cybersecurity.
The Department of Commerce’s move to the WPS marked a symbolic moment in the technological stalemate between the two powers. While the trade war had previously focused on semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and rare earth elements, it has now affected the very foundation of digital communication: the document format through which countries exchange information.
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