A senior executive said today that Microsoft are planning to expand in China by adding another 1,000 staff. This will supplement the 4,500 already in place.

The additional staff are being called in to strengthen the company position in China, a market which is seen as being a key focus for expansion in the future.

The new hires will be added to sales, research and development and marketing and services. The information came from Ralph Haupter, CEO for Microsoft's Greater China Operation.

This expansion is the latest step in a high profile marketing effort by Microsoft, aiming to target local governments and public institutions. Currently Microsoft are dealing with a very costly piracy situation in China, with pirated copies of their software solutions widely available to the consumer, at lower cost.

Microsoft have already sued Gome Electrical Appliances Holding, a Chinese electronics retailer, who were installing pirated versions of software on their new computer systems.

Steve Ballmer plans to add another 15 percent to the current spend of $500 million annually on R&D in China. Microsoft also plan to build a cloud computing operations in Shanghai to employ another 600 people.

Kitguru says: More employment opportunities in China, always a good thing.

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