Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella is planning to visit China in September, as the world's second-largest economy continues an anti-trust investigation into what is considered the world's biggest software supplier and other major foreign companies.

Microsoft itself would not confirm the CEO's visit. A company spokesman said they do not comment on the travel plans of top executives, but a source familiar with Nadella's schedule said the visit would be in late September.

Like Us on Facebook

It is not known whether Nadella intends to meet with Chinese government officials, or if the visit had anything to do with the antitrust investigation. The source would not say whether it had anything to do as well with plans by China to develop its own operating system that might replace Windows and Google Android.

Microsoft happens to be one of several foreign companies that have under scrutiny in China as the country moves to enforce an anti-monopoly law crafted in 2008.

If the visit pushes through, Nadella would be the second top executive of a technology company to have visited China as the antitrust probes continue. Last week, Derek Aberle, president of Qualcomm Inc was in the country and met with officials of China's National Development and Reform Commission.

Steve Ballmer, Nadella's predecessor at Microsoft, did visit China a few times during his 14 years as CEO, but seldom did the company consider as critical visits to countries where its major products - Windows and Office - are widely pirated. In 2011, Ballmer made a statement that Microsoft earned more revenue in the Netherlands than in China.

The antitrust investigation in China is being handled by its State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC). Earlier this month, SAIC said Microsoft may have broken anti-monopoly laws that regulate compatibility, bundling and document authentication for Windows and Office applications. 

TagsSatya Nadella, China antitrust