China launches its first open-source desktop operating system as it moves to cut use of US tech

A screenshot of China's OpenKylin desktop operating system that was launched in July 2023. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM BILIBILI

BEIJING: China is ramping up efforts to wean itself off foreign technology by launching its first open-source desktop operating system (OS) last week, but it faces an uphill task getting its citizens to use it widely.

The OS, called OpenKylin and developed by state-owned China Electronics Corp – formed in 1989 to build home-grown semiconductors, software and telecommunications products – is aimed at replacing foreign-owned software that currently dominates the market. It did not set a timeline for achieving this.