China’s block of Microsoft’s Bing due to technical error: sources

Microsoft Corp.'s Bing appp is seen with other mobile apps on a smartphone in Beijing, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. Chinese internet users have lost access to Microsoft Corp.'s Bing search engine, triggering grumbling about the ruling Communist Party's increasingly tight online censorship. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Microsoft Corp’s search engine Bing was blocked in China due to an accidental technical error rather than an attempt at censorship, according to people familiar with the matter, and the search engine is once again accessible in the country. 

The government had no intention to block Bing when it stopped working this week, according to two people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information. The Cyberspace Administration of China didn’t respond to faxed questions. Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry, deferred comment to “other relevant, competent authorities”.