Baidu gets chief for new business areas

Baidu has named Zhang Yaqin, former vice president of Microsoft and chairman of the US company's Asia Research and Development Group, as president to head new business developments.

"Zhang Yaqin's deep technology understanding and rich business experience would make valuable contributions as we expand into new business areas," Robin Li, founder, chairman and chief executive of Baidu, said in an e-mailed statement yesterday.

Zhang joins Baidu at a time when the Chinese company is boosting spending in research and development. Earlier this year, Baidu set up an artificial intelligence laboratory in Silicon Valley in the US to boost research to catch up with Google and Apple.

"I'm thrilled to join Baidu at a time when the Internet industry is going through a major shift toward mobile Internet, and I'm looking forward to realizing the immense potential of Baidu in this new era," Zhang said.

Last week, Baidu unveiled its latest wearable device called BaiduEye. The device can scan objects and recognize voice orders to provide search results and sync with a smartphone.

Zhang joined Microsoft in 1999 as one of the key founders of Microsoft Research Asia and has headed departments dealing with infrastructure research, product development and strategic collaboration.