Microsoft has marked the 30th anniversary of its substantial presence in China with a pledge to hire over 1,000 more workers in the communist country.
The tech giant entered the Chinese market in 1992, and currently has facilities in Beijing and Shangai among other locations in the country, as well as the tech giant’s largest research & development facility outside the U.S.
Chinese President Xi Jinping raises his glass and proposes a toast during the welcome banquet for visiting leaders attending the Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People, Friday, April 26, 2019. (Nicolas Asfouri/Pool Photo via AP)
According to reports, Microsoft plans to increase its employee headcount in China past the 10,000 mark, as well as upgrades to its R&D facilities that will “make Chinese brainpower a part of Microsoft’s global plans.”
Via the Register:
Festivities kicked off with news the company plans to hire 1,000 more workers in China. Those hires will take local headcount past 10,000. More importantly, they signal that Microsoft sees plenty of growth in China at a time the nation’s own big tech companies have been laying off substantial numbers of staff amid tepid economic growth.
The software giant’s facilities in Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou will each be upgraded in the next three to five years. All will receive tech touted as ideal for hybrid working and keeping carbon dioxide emissions low.
Better yet – from China’s point of view – the expanded offices will house research and development teams that make Chinese brainpower a part of Microsoft’s global plans. Sales and marketing teams will also enjoy the upgraded digs.
Microsoft’s own website hails its presence in China, and its efforts to develop R&D capabilities in the communist dictatorship.
Via Microsoft:
Microsoft has had a presence in China for more than 20 years, entering the market in 1992. Our founder, Bill Gates, had the foresight to establish an office in Beijing, accurately predicting the country’s transition to the booming economy we see today.
Microsoft has expanded its business across the country under its strategy of long-term investment and development. Today, our most complete subsidiary and largest R&D center outside the United States is in China. Microsoft has been working closely with customers and industry partners to realize innovation and both localize and land Microsoft technologies and solutions in China. Microsoft boasts a robust partner ecosystem with 17,000 partners. For every RMB that Microsoft earns in China, Microsoft partners earn 16. In early 2015, Microsoft was awarded “The World’s Top 10 Most Innovative of 2015 Companies in China ” by Fast Company magazine due to its local product strategy and commitments to helping Chinese partners, and was included as one of ” The Companies Remaking The Chinese Economy” along with Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu and other companies.
Microsoft is far from the only western tech giant to maintain a substantial presence in China. One of its biggest hardware competitors, Apple, has relied heavily on Foxconn’s Chinese manufacturing operations to build iPhones, including a gargantuan facility in Henan Province dubbed “iPhone city.”
However, in a possible sign of changes to come, Apple recently announced that its new flagship smartphone, the iPhone 14, would be manufactured in India rather than China.
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. He is the author of #DELETED: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election.