The giant global computer software company Microsoft announced that it will be hiring 1,000 people in China in order to enlarge its research, sales, and development teams in what is the world’s biggest market for personal computers.

Ralph Haupter, Microsoft’s Greater China CEO, explained that the additional workers will be hired over the coming year, increasing the total Microsoft worker-base to 5,500. Marketing and services teams will also grow, Haupter added.

Microsoft is also planning to strengthen its spending on research and development in China by about 15 percent during the coming year.

One of Microsoft’s goals is to sell more of its Windows 8 smartphone in china, where demand for it has been expanding, despite the stiff completion from rivals Google and Apple.