MSN China Loses Executive (MSFT, GOOG)

Xiao Chen, MSN (NASDAQ: MSFT) China’s Vice-President of sales, has announced his departure from the organization. Xiao Chen had been with the company since its inception. He is likely to pursue his own start-up firm. The move has come as a jolt to the joint venture. MSN is already struggling to gain a foothold in the Chinese market.

MSN is facing tough competition from a local chat messaging and social network site QQ. The site is operated by China’s most valuable internet company Tencent Holdings. In 2009, MSN had to shut down its microblogging website, Juku, following an accusation of plagiarism. Microsoft is now trying to promote its search engine, Bing, in China. The company has also stated that its plans in China will not be affected by the China-Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) spat.