Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (GAC Group), a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer, on Thursday set up a research and development (R&D) center in Milan, marking the company's first such center in Europe, besides the headquarters in south China's Guangzhou and units in places like Los Angeles and Silicon Valley. 

The GAC Group already has a presence in 28 countries and regions. At the opening ceremony of the new R&D center, Shu Luomei, the counselor of Chinese Consulate-General in Milan, said, "We encourage Chinese companies to go global and will continue to support their development in Italy." GAC Group officials earlier explained the rationale for the overseas expansion and various other growth strategies.