Pinewood Group, the British studio behind the Star Wars blockbuster: The Force Awakens and the James Bond franchise, is expanding into China with a representative office in Beijing.

The move is central to the studio's plans for global expansion, according to Andrew Smith, president of Pinewood China.

"Pinewood has been working in China for a number of years and we have forged some strong relationships with film companies, content producers and games developers," Smith said. "A permanent presence in China is a key strategic element of Pinewood's overall international strategy."

Parts of the Harry Potter series were shot in Pinewood's famous Buckinghamshire complex, and the company also has studios in the US, Canada, the Dominican Republic and Malaysia.

Following the announcement, UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley described Pinewood as one of the country's most "iconic brands."

"Building on the recent state visit to the UK by Chinese President Xi Jinping, I'm delighted to see Pinewood further expanding its presence in the international market as part of its strategic global growth plan," Bradley said.

The studio has already provided consultancy services to a number of Chinese entertainment companies, including Tencent Games and Shanghai Media Group. The studio is advising the Wanda Group on the design of its 45-stage studio complex, Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis, scheduled to open next year.

Amanda Halliday is set to head the Beijing office as Senior Vice President, Pinewood China. Halliday speaks Mandarin and has managed several of Pinewood's Chinese consultancy projects from the UK and has worked in development on UK-China co-productions.

British Ambassador to China Barbara Woodward welcomed the move, saying it would strengthen the presence of UK creative enterprise in China.

"As the Chinese film market evolves there are more and more opportunities for British enterprises, from animation and post-production, to collaborating on high quality content with their counterparts in China," Woodward said.

Pinewood studio was taken over earlier this year in a ￡323 million deal involving property investment fund Aermont Capital.

To contact the reporter: angus@mail.chinadaily.com