Microsoft and Baidu announced a strategic partnership on Thursday that calls for the Chinese site to sell ads on select MSN and Live properties within China. Baidu, the top search provider in the country, disclosed the partnership in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, however.

The move is somewhat curious considering Microsoft recently launched its adCenter offering in an effort to compete on a more even keel with Yahoo and Google. Initially offered in the United States, Britain, France and Singapore, Microsoft plans to expand it to other countries in the near future. However, in China its web properties are far less popular, possibly the reason for such a deal.

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MSN, Baidu, Tie Up for Ads in China