China is a vital market for Microsoft's Web search business, as it chases leaders Baidu Inc and Google in the world's biggest Internet market, the world's largest software maker said. Since launching its English-language Bing search site in June, Microsoft has been gaining steady share in the United States, with 10.3 percent in November versus 17.5 percent for Yahoo and 65.6 percent for dominant player Google, according to comScore.
Microsoft hopes to get off to a similar fast start with its Chinese-language Bing site, which is still in its beta phase following a low-key launch in June. "Microsoft is committed to the China market and the search market in China is the most important strategic market for Microsoft," the company said on Tuesday in emailed responses to questions from Reuters. China's Internet market is a hot spot for global search companies looking to expand overseas, but localisation issues and tough domestic competition have made it tough to crack for global titans such as Yahoo, eBay and Amazon.