microsoftlogo1-1024x680Chinese officials reportedly visited Microsoft offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, though no immediate reason was given for the investigations, according to Reuters.

The visits by China’s State Administration for Industry & Commerce come at a time when tensions have risen between technology giants and China, sparked in part be revelations of  U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

A Microsoft spokeswoman tells Reuters: “We aim to build products that deliver the features, security and reliability customers expect and we’re happy to answer the government’s questions.”

In May, China banned the use of Windows 8 on government computers. And just last month, a Chinese news show claimed that Microsoft could collect sensitive information about Windows 8 users, and then share that data with the NSA. Microsoft denied those claims.

Microsoft has fallen under Chinese scrutiny in recent weeks. State-run media alleged last month this that a number of U.S.-based tech companies, including Google, Apple, Microsoft and Yahoo, could become “cybersecurity threats.”

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