Microsoft to spend US$1bn in China R&D

Microsoft Corp on Thursday said it will invest over US$1 billion on research and development in China over the next three years, signaling that the firm will not shift its focus from China during the economic downturn, AFP reported. The chairman of Microsoft China’s research and development group, Zhang Yaqin, told reporters in Beijing that, "The one billion dollar investment over the three years is new investment…which will focus on human resources and other resources linked to research and development." The investment does not include money that would be spent on mergers and acquisitions