Electronic Data Systems (EDS) plans to open at least two outsourcing centers in China, hiring 2,000 staff over the next two years, a company spokesman said Thursday.

"China is a strategic growth market for EDS, both regionally and globally," said Ronald Tse, a spokesman for the company in Hong Kong.

EDS, which earlier this year moved its Asian headquarters to Shanghai from Australia, is in the process of identifying locations in China for two to three outsourcing centers, Tse said. These facilities, called global delivery centers, will offer a range of outsourced services, including IT outsourcing and hosting, for multinational and Chinese clients, he said.

"We are planning to open the first one within this year," Tse said, noting the company already has similar facilities in Malaysia and India.

To staff these centers, EDS plans to hire an additional 2,000 workers over the next two years, Tse said. The company currently employs 100 staff in China.

China has long been a center for low-cost manufacturing, and over the past few years it has become an increasingly important outsourcing center as well.

Last month, Unisys established an outsourcing center in Shanghai that will offer a range of services, including software development. Over the next three years, Unisys plans to expand these operations by hiring 1,000 workers and perhaps setting up similar centers in other Chinese cities.

-Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service

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