GAC's representative office in Shanghai has been awarded an A-Class forwarding licence from China's Ministry of Commerce, meaning that it will be able to operate as a wholly-owned foreign enterprise (WOFE).

The company started operating under the name GAC Forwarding & Shipping (Shanghai) from January 1.

"With this licence in place, we are able to market our extended range of logistics services directly to customers and trade in reminibi," said Christer Sjodoff, GAC's regional director for the Asia Pacific and the Indian subcontinent.

This latest development is in line with GAC's globalisation strategy, which identified China as one of the most important growth markets for the group.

GAC added in a statement it plans to establish three more offices in Xiamen, Beijing and Shenzhen in the coming months.