More than 90 percent of the workers in Pepsi's subsidiaries in China will be employed locally, Indra Nooyi, Pepsi's President and CEO said in Beijing on Tuesday.

In the next five years, the number of Pepsi employees in China will double. More than 600 Chinese university graduates are expected to join Pepsi, Nooyi said at the China Sciences and Humanities Forum (CSHF).

He said Pepsi hopes its research and development center in Shanghai would develop new low-calorie food and beverages that meet the tastes and demands of Chinese consumers.

As one of the first foreign firms to enter China, Pepsi has already invested more than 1 billion U.S. dollars and set up more than 40 subsidiaries and joint ventures in the country.

Pepsi sources said the company has employed about 10,000 staff members in China. Pepsi's business in China has expanded from soft drinks to snack foods.

Source: Xinhua