May. 31, 2012 (China Knowledge) - U.S. power and technology giant General Electric Co yesterday opened its first innovation center in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, sources reported.

The new center, located in Chengdu with an area of 33,500 square meters, is designed for consumers and GE engineers to jointly develop new products and solve technical problems. It will also serve as GE's Southwest China headquarters.

The center, in which GE has invested US$80 million for construction, labor force and operations, has more than 30 labs and will focus on medical treatment, energy, transportation, telecommunication and power industry in the initial stage.

GE currently has more than 50 entities with over 17,000 employees in China. In 2011, the company's sales in the country reached US$5.7 billion.