The Chinese government is trying to solve security risks for government agencies after Microsoft stopped providing security updates for Windows XP, an official said on Tuesday.

"Security problems could arise because of a lack of technical support after Microsoft stopped providing services, making computers with XP vulnerable to hackers," Yan Xiaohong, National Copyright Administration deputy director, told a press conference.

Microsoft ended support for the 13-year-old Windows XP, which remains a major operating system for Chinese computer users, after April 8, and advised users to upgrade to Windows 8.1 and get a new computer if necessary.

"Windows 8 is fairly expensive and will increase government procurement costs," he said. Authorities are negotiating with Microsoft, he said.

Windows 8 is sold for 888 yuan ($142) in China. Chinese security providers have released specialized XP-protection products.

China has invested hundreds of millions of US dollars in buying copyrighted software since 2010, when China launched an anti-piracy drive among government agencies, Yan said.