The survey noted that 74 percent of respondents view Microsoft (China) positively, while 22 percent hold mixed feelings. Only four percent view the company negatively.

The respondents agree that Microsoft ( China) has grown into a creative and long-term oriented industry leader among multinationals now in operation in China.

The survey was made by the Sinotrust Business Risk Management Ltd, a leading independent research company in China, in December 2000.

Nearly half of the respondents said that Microsoft has a significant competitive edge in terms of talents over its competitors.

In the past two years, the Microsoft experienced a series of strikes in China, losing the lawsuit against Yadu, a Chinese local company, on an alleged violation of intellectual property rights, the denunciation from Juliet Wu, former general manger of Microsoft (China) who resigned from the company, and the freelancer Fang Xingdong's book titled Against Microsoft Hegemony.

(Eastday.com.cn 01/27/2001)