Research In Motion, the Canadian wireless communications company known for its BlackBerry handheld device, has confirmed to the Chinese media that it has set up a branch in China and has appointed Gregory Shea, vice president for RIM's government relations in Asia Pacific, as president of RIM China.

RIM has reportedly set up its Chinese headquarters in Beijing and opened offices in Shanghai and Guangzhou. RIM previously launched BlackBerry services with China Mobile to its users in China and another Chinese telecom operator, China Telecom, has expressed wishes to also introduce this smartphone product.

Graduating from the University of British Columbia with a master degree of science, Shea came to China in 1987 as an invited foreign expert by the Chinese government. He previously worked for Sun Microsystems and the U.S. Information Technology Office, and joined RIM in 2008 as vice president for RIM's government relations in Asia Pacific. In his new post, Shea will be responsible for the establishment and development of RIM's partner relations and promote BlackBerry's development in China.