Microsoft has inked several deals to help boost adoption of Windows 10 in China.

Most notably, a partnership with Baidu will replace Bing with Baidu.com as Microsoft Edge's default search engine in China. The two said they would also "make it easy" for Baidu customers to upgrade to Windows 10 via something known as Windows 10 Express.

"Together...we will deliver a custom experience for customers in China, providing local browsing and search experiences," Microsoft's Senior Vice President, Yusuf Mehdi, wrote in a blog post.

Baidu and Microsoft have been working together since 2006 and Bing has been Baidu's default search engine since 2011. But piracy has been a big issue for Microsoft in China, with many PC users there running unauthorized versions of Redmond's software. In March, Microsoft told Reuters that it would upgrade "all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10," but the specifics have been confusing.

So teaming up with some of China's biggest companies could help get Windows 10 upgrade options in front of more eyeballs in the country. Microsoft also partnered with Unisplendour Corporation (UNIS) and 21Vianet for hybrid cloud services aimed at businesses and government customers. A deal with CETC will also focus on Windows 10 deployment to Specialized Fields in government institutions and critical infrastructure state-owned enterprises.

Plus, smartphone maker Xiaomi will adopt Windows Azure to provide cloud services for Mi Cloud users.

The news comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Redmond this week and met with tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, IBM's Virginia Rometty, and Alibaba chief Jack Ma.

Microsoft clashed with the Chinese government last year when China reportedly banned Windows 8 on government computers. China's Central Government Procurement Center did not specify why it was banning Windows 8, but state news agency Xinhua said the country wanted to avoid losing support for an operating system like it did with Windows XP.

Last summer, Chinese officials also showed up unannounced at four Microsoft offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu—reportedly to investigate antitrust accusations. Their focus: Redmond's Web browser and media player.

Earlier this year, meanwhile, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) denied allegations that authorities hacked into Microsoft's Outlook email service, calling the assertions "groundless slander."