(MENAFN) China has begun phasing out the use of Microsoft Word — a widely adopted American-developed word processing format — in its official documents, substituting it with a domestically created version.

According to a media outlet, this move highlights escalating trade and technology disputes between Beijing and Washington.

Last week, China’s Ministry of Commerce issued an announcement concerning new restrictions on rare earth exports.

Notably, the document was published exclusively in WPS format — a Chinese-developed software suite similar to Microsoft Office — marking the first time such a file could not be accessed using Word or other American platforms, the newspaper reported on Monday.

The export restrictions, unveiled last Thursday, target specific strategic minerals that have both civilian and defense-related applications. Officials cited national security concerns as the reason for the policy shift.

These new controls, which increase licensing demands, are part of broader efforts seen earlier this year to assert greater authority over high-tech materials.

In response to these developments, US President Donald Trump warned of further retaliatory measures, including a proposed 100% tariff on goods imported from China.

He also suggested that the United States might limit the export of “any and all critical software.”

Meanwhile, foreign software companies have been steadily scaling back operations in China. Firms such as Adobe and Citrix (now operating as Cloud Software) have reduced their presence, and Microsoft has shuttered both its artificial intelligence research center in Shanghai and all of its brick-and-mortar retail outlets across mainland China.

Additionally, in September, Chinese regulators reportedly instructed major domestic firms to stop testing and buying Nvidia’s AI chips.

As reported by a news agency, China's semiconductor industry is now aiming to triple its production of AI chips, reinforcing the country’s push for technological self-sufficiency.

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