According to a recent revelation by Zhang Yaqin, chairman of Microsoft’s Asia-Pacific R&D Group, to Reuters, Microsoft does not plan to end its business in China, no matter what the consequence of Google’s scuffle with the Chinese authorities over the recent cyberattacks’ issue.

Speaking to Reuters during the opening of China’s National People's Congress in Beijing, Yaqin told the news agency: “Regardless of whether or not Google stays in China, we will aggressively promote our search and cloud computing.”

With speculations galore by analysts about Google’s closest competitors – Microsoft and Yahoo – will react in case the Internet search biggie discontinues its operations in China; Yaqin confirmed Microsoft’s intentions to continue business in the country, saying that a nearly $500 million spending had been planned by the company on research and development in China this year.

Noting that it is not easy for companies like Microsoft to go against a government that controls a notable part of their business, analyst Dan Olds, at Gabriel Consulting Group, said that Microsoft has apparently gauged that the potential rewards of continuing in China “outweigh the risks of being perceived as toadying to an authoritarian government.”

Meanwhile, highlighting Microsoft’s 20-year-long association with China, CEO Steve Ballmer said that it respects Chinese laws; and, like any other company doing business overseas, Microsoft too is “subject to local laws.”