TikTok deal tests Microsoft's decades of China experience

The US tech giant hopes its connections will help it navigate through the storm safely

BEIJING, SAN FRANCISCO • More than two decades of efforts by Microsoft to put down roots in China may soon bring a partial payoff, if it succeeds in steering through the purchase of TikTok's United States business.

But as relations between the US and China continue to deteriorate, the software company's long-term bet on the Chinese market is also facing its most uncertain period yet.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 08, 2020, with the headline TikTok deal tests Microsoft's decades of China experience. Subscribe