US computer maker Hewlett Packard announced wide-ranging plans to expand in China,

US computer maker Hewlett Packard announced wide-ranging plans to expand in China, with a string of research centers and manufacturing facilities in several Chinese cities.

By the end of this year, the company will open a new center in Beijing dedicated to “networking and information analytics research”, increasing the number of HP’s research bases in China to three, it said in a statement.

It will add new manufacturing facilities in Shanghai and establish a China regional headquarters there for the Personal Systems Group.

The company will also collaborate with major cities, including Shanghai, the northern port city of Tianjin and Chongqing in the southwest, to work on infrastructure, energy and healthcare issues.

“China’s vibrant economy, explosive growth in social and mobile connectivity, and strong commitment to innovation present tremendous opportunities for HP,” CEO Leo Apotheker said in the statement.

The announcement followed the launch by HP of a center to promote HP’s cloud computing developments.

Cloud computing allows users to remotely store data rather than keep it on their own servers.

HP started operations in China in 1985. It now runs nine regional offices in the country and does business in more than 600 cities, according to the company.

Source AFP