China announced that it will forbid the use of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system in new government computers, a move aimed at ensuring security after the coming shutdown of Windows XP.

All desktops, laptops and tablet PCs purchased by central state organs must use an OS other than Windows 8, according to an online statement by the Central Government Procurement Center.

The measure targets only computers used by government offices. The personal computer market is expected to be unaffected.

Currently, most government computers run Windows XP, which has a 70 percent market share in China.

But Microsoft ended its technical support for the 13-year-old system on April 8, arousing safety concerns and appeals for a domestically designed OS over a switch to a new foreign system - an upgraded Windows or Apple's Unix-based OS, for example.

Despite the promise of major Chinese software security companies to provide technical assistance to guard against risks, Windows XP users remain fearful about potential dangers of attacks by hackers.

"It was an extremely unexpected announcement for us," Microsoft said in a statement. "We will continue to provide Windows 7 in China and is working closely with related governments to evaluate Windows 8 for government purchase in the future."

Experts said the Chinese government cannot ignore the risks of running an OS without guaranteed technical support, and its latest directive is designed to avoid being confronted with a similar situation again in the future if it continues to purchase computers using a foreign operating system.

Gao Yuan contributed to this story.