Washington: Social networking giant Facebook is all set to open a research office in China.
According to the Variety magazine, the decision comes at a time when China restricts internet usage within its own borders.
Facebook filed for a company registration in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province– which is home to Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba– with an initial capital of $30 million.
The research facility in China will be similar to that of India, South Korea, France, and Brazil.
Interestingly, Facebook is banned from operating in China’s closely-guarded network.
The Asian government controls the usage of social media content, which might involve foreign technology companies to maintain servers inside its borders.
Despite the obstacles, Facebook is keen to operate in China.
On a related note, the Facebook-owned messaging service Whatsapp is now partially unavailable in China.(ANI)