Shanghai: India's leading engineering and construction conglomerate, Larsen and Toubro Limited (L&T) today (Aug 30, 2004) said it is planning to set up a software development centre in China and make it a manufacturing base for the global market as part of the company's foray into the international arena.

"We are looking at establishing a software development centre in China for our Far East markets," Chairman and Managing Director of L&T, A M Naik told reporters after formally inaugurating the company's first Representative Office in China's commercial hub.

"L&T Infotech, a wholly-owned subsidiary, in the near future intends to open a 100 seats IT and software development centre in China," he said adding this would enable the company to deliver solutions and services to its local customers, including multinationals.

Naik, who is one his first visit to China to understand the complex market, said the software development centre is likely to be established in the second half of 2005. He did not identify the city where L&T would establish the software centre.

This would be L&T's first such facility apart from its six software development centres in India and one in the US.

"We think that China is going to be extremely competitive in the next five to ten years where we need to have our own presence to diversify our interests in information technology," Naik said.