Microsoft’s (MSFT.NASDAQ) top China executive commented that the Chinese government has helped the company’s business by strengthening intellectual-property protection but has also hurt it by preventing official sales of the Xbox 360 console, The Wall Street Journal reported. A 2004 regulation aimed at limiting the influence of videogames on children has prevented Microsoft from officially selling the console in China, yet roughly 3 million of the game systems are sold in China each year through unofficial channels, said Simon Leung, chief executive of Microsoft’s Greater China Region. However, he credited healthy business growth in Microsoft’s personal-computer-software business to a Ministry of Commerce campaign against piracy. Leung said an increasing number of state-owned enterprises are purchasing licensed software. Microsoft aims to make its Windows 7.5 smartphone the leading smartphone operating system in China.