satya
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in Seattle earlier this month.

Satya Nadella is preparing to take his first trip to China as Microsoft CEO, as reported by Reuters overnight, but the company says in a statement this morning that the travel plans predate an antitrust investigation into the company by Chinese authorities at the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

“Satya’s trip was planned before the Chinese government investigation began,” the company said in a statement provided to GeekWire this morning. “We’re committed to complying with China’s laws and addressing SAIC’s questions and concerns.”

The trip comes at a time of rising tensions between U.S. companies and authorities in China, who have taken steps to prevent some foreign technology from being used in government agencies, and also launched a series of antitrust investigations.

In the case of Microsoft, regulators are reported to be investigating Microsoft’s bundling of Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player with Windows — an issue that authorities in the U.S. and Europe targeted many years ago. The move is puzzling to many in the U.S. given the rise of smartphone and tablet platforms that have overshadowed Microsoft’s role on desktop computers.

Microsoft has a wide range of business interests in China, including the upcoming launch of the Xbox One in the country this fall.

 

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