Posted on 04/27/2006 10:03:06 PM PDT by HAL9000
Microsoft Corp disclosed the details of a deal signed with China's top economic planning body, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Wednesday.Microsoft's vice president and chief technology officer Craig Mundie arrived in Beijing to disclose the details of the MOU signed on Apr 18, according to which, Microsoft Corp will invest $100 million in setting up cooperation with China-based software enterprises and their subsidiaries, joint ventures outside China.
It will place orders worth $100 million to software enterprises in China. Microsoft will place a 700-million-U.S.-dollar hardware export order with Chinese companies in each of the next five years. In addition, it has a plan to train 10,000 software professionals in China within five years.
The MOU is the second of its kind the software giant has signed with the Chinese Government. The first such MOU was in 2002 with the then State Planning Commission, under which the software firm committed itself to investing 6.2 billion yuan (775 million US dollars) in a package of procurement, investment, talent training, technology development.
Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft said in a written statement that he is delighted to see China's efforts made in IPR protection, and the signing of the MOU shows Microsoft's long-term commitment to China software industry.
In the past month, major PC makers in China including Lenovo, Tsinghua Tongfang and Founder signed orders for Windows operating system worth over $1 billion with Microsoft. Microsoft's commitment to invest in China is regarded as a "return" for the deal.
UPDATED: 11:18, April 27, 2006Microsoft deal to boost domestic sector
U.S. software giant Microsoft is planning to pour 3.7 billion U.S. dollars into China over the next five years, the China Daily reported on Thursday.
Under a deal signed with China's top economic planning body, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Microsoft has vowed to increase its investment and commitment which it says will aid the development of the Chinese software sector.
Microsoft will place a 700-million-U.S.-dollar hardware export order with Chinese companies in each of the next five years, according to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with the NDRC.
According to the MOU, the U.S. firm will also invest 100 million U.S. dollars during the same period to collaborate with Chinese software firms or their offshore subsidiaries. This will be done in the form of setting up joint ventures or cooperation, a move the software company says is designed to help the growth of Chinese software firms.
In addition, Microsoft will, in the same timeframe, place a 100-million-U.S.-dollar order with Chinese software companies for software technical support, development and testing services.
The software giant is also planning to train 10,000 software professionals for China in the next five years, and set up an "NDRC-Microsoft Software Innovation Centre", in a bid to help China sharpen its software industry's competitive edge.
The MOU, signed on April 18, is the second of its kind the software giant has signed with the Chinese Government.
The first such MOU was in 2002 with the then State Planning Commission, under which the software firm committed itself to investing 6.2 billion yuan (775 million US dollars) in various co-operative projects.
Source: Xinhua
Here are your buddies at Microsoft - selling out America again.
The US military needs to dump Microsoft immediately.
You need to sharpen your reading skills. You seem to have missed the part that says, "signed orders for Windows Operating System worth more than $1 billion." This is money that is already guaranteed to the US economy. All the rest is smoke and mirrors. The part that said, "a 'return' for the deal" should have read "maintaining market share", but of course you probably realized this. You just wanted something to bitch about.
Microsoft has done more to correct our deficits than any other company, except for Boeing. You should be proud of them.
Can't find any better sources than "The People's Daily"? Please, I know you have better source links than that.
While I find this revolting, any honest assesment shows Microsoft is far behind other US corportations when it comes to selling out to China. Read Business Week's article outlining this deal:
"Microsoft botched efforts in China by failing to make friends with the Chinese government early on. The software company may be making up for lost time."
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2006/tc20060426_405461.htm
What they're obviously referring to is companies like IBM, that have been building huge factories over in China since the 90's. So Microsoft is going to buy $700 million in Chinese hardware each year? Big deal, IBM sold the Chinese government their $10 Billion/year PC business last year, so this deal won't even be earning the Chinese 1/10th of that new business they just got from IBM. How much hardware do you think other companies like HP are buying from China each year? A lot more than $700 million I'm sure as well.
So while this new Microsoft deal stinks, and Gates is now sucking up to the Chinese like IBM and others taught him, try to keep some perspective. And posting links from The People's Daily isn't going to offer much.
At this point we're stuck hoping the "freetraitors" are right, because the sellouts of our technology to China have reached full throttle. And if the technology is going to be allowed to flow, we better at least get paid for it.
From the update to the article:
"UPDATED: 11:18, April 27, 2006 Microsoft deal to boost domestic sector U.S. software giant Microsoft is planning to pour 3.7 billion U.S. dollars into China over the next five years, the China Daily reported on Thursday."
Bill Gates invests $3.7 billion in China to make one billion for Bill Gates (not America). This does not compute and makes your answer incomprehensible.
And go with what, Linux, the official operating system of the PRC government? According to estimates that's what ~80% of the government servers over there use, thanks to government mandates.
http://news.linux.com/news/06/04/12/2023209.shtml?tid=96
That's what happens when you trust The People's Daily for your data. Here's where you can get some more accurate figures on Microsoft's projected income from Chinese companies, looking to be about $1.5 Billion per year. Not that I'd like to see any of our companies dealing with those barbarians.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=a5_uHSUBsj0w
Yes, let's be proud of Bill Gates for training 10,000 ChiCom computer programmers to compete against the Americans.
Thank you, Bill Gates, for proclaiming China's dictators as the smartest people on the planet.
Let's praise Bill Gates for sending billions of dollars of aid and comfort the enemy, even though China only accounts for 1 percent of Microsoft's sales.
And a special thanks to Bill Gates for his buggy, virus-infested, low-quality crap software. Thanks a lot, Bill!
I think you need to read the article one more time and look for and distinguish between expressions such as: "in the last month" vs "over the next five years" and "signed orders" vs "planning to do so and so." I heard that reading comprehension was down in this country, but now I'm beginning to believe it.
I'm in business and if, last month I raked in a billion dollars, while talking about doing doing 3 or 4 times that much business over the next five years with the other side, I would be laughing all the way to the bank. Besides, MS will get a big piece of the training costs for 10,000 Chinese. Did the article say that MS would be paying for this. I doubt not. Gates is doing what he does best. Make money, and most of it is coming right back into the US economy.
The only wonder of it all it that we have people here like you that hate success so much that they will denigrate that which they benefit from.
China: Friend, foe or in ten years we'll let ya know?
Bill Gates is Chairman Hu's bitch, and will do as he's told.
I'm at home in Shanghai, day off.
I can walk less than 100 yards from my house to a DVD store that sells software and buy Windows XP Pro and XP Office Suite for $1.50 each. If fact, I can buy *any* really expensive super popular CAD, Multimedia, PC Utility, Virus Protect, OS software on the market for $1.50. Cheaper if I buy more than one title at a time.
There have been *no* visible strides in IP Protection other than an occasional staged bulldozer rolling over movie DVDs on the news. On any Saturday, there are no less than 10 DVD salespeople on the steet outside with the backs of their three wheeled cart bikes filled to the top with all the latest titles. The only exception was when Harry Potter chose Shanghai to Open, the result was DVDs available in Chinese only for the first 6 weeks one week after screening, then... English. See how it works.
If Bill is offering to do this, it is because he wants the Chinese government to get the boot legs off the shelves starting with the coming release of "Vista". Instead of that money going to street vendors and small operations, it will now flow into the hands of high level officials through the joint venture. Clearing the shelves will happen with a very short phone call from Mr. Hu.
The money Bill is losing Vs. the money he can make by setting up this tech transfer makes it all worth while. The numbers must be good if he has committed to training 10,000 Chinese. I just feel bad for all the programmers and their families he just signed up for long term international service.
Training people from other countries in various technologies is practically an American tradition. It's been going on for over a half a century. It's always been considered a virtue until Gates does it. Why?
Let's praise Bill Gates for sending billions of dollars of aid and comfort the enemy, even though China only accounts for 1 percent of Microsoft's sales.
I can tell that your are not in business. Each new potential customer represents 0% of your income. If for that reason, you didn't approach them, your business would never grow.
And a special thanks to Bill Gates for his buggy, virus-infested, low-quality crap software. Thanks a lot, Bill!
I have been a software developer for 30 years and have worked under 20 different operating systems. They all have their good and bad points. The .NET initiative on Microsoft's part is probably the most innovative platform to come along in years. I worked under Unix from the 80's to mid-90's and looked at Linux, but it reminded me of the old "do it yourself" attitude that Unix offered. I'm interested in efficiency. MS tools let me get an application up an running much faster than anything out there. And I've used them all. By the way, you seem to have a vested interest in this subject. Just what are your qualifications?
I think we know the answer to that one right now and that's all the more reason to get them to use our operating system. I seriously doubt that we will ever make any money off the Chinese. Untold numbers of companies have tried and failed. Who knows, maybe Gates will be different. At any rate, he's trying.
What viruses are delivered with what software, Hal? I'd really like to know because I've yet to discover any in any of my MS software. And I have tons of it..
If China wants to get programming training they'll do it with or without Microsoft. Is there some current law saying an American company can't sell goods/services to China?
Besides, if you were aware of the things (good things) being done with very large amounts of Microsoft profit (via the Gates' foundation) you might not be so harsh.
Planned Barrenhood?
yeah, but common sense from the anti-capitalists requires special software to detect sometimes ;)
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