MICROSOFT joint venture Wicresoft has ended its China projects with the US technology giant, laying off 2,000 employees, according to local media, reports Hong Kong's South China Morning Post.

Employees at the Shanghai office of Wicresoft - a Bellevue, Washington-based business consulting venture founded by Microsoft and its Shanghai partners in 2002 - on Monday received emails that said their work related to the US company "will be terminated."

According to the email, the decision to stop work on those projects was made because of "geopolitical shifts and changes in the global business environment."

With expertise in information technology and telecommunications services as well as talent acquisition, Wicresoft provides advisory, solutions and operational support to various major brands.