Yahoo shuts down China office

US Internet company, Yahoo, is shutting down its office in China, with reports saying at least 200 to 300 people will be laid off.

The company, which has been consolidating offices and trimming staff around the world, had about 12,500 workers worldwide at the end of 2014.

The closure of the Beijing office, according to Bloomberg, contrasts with other Internet companies, which are courting the world’s biggest online population despite authorities blocking their products.

Yahoo confirmed the closure in a statement to AFP, but did not specify how many employees would be affected.

“We are constantly making changes to align resources and to foster better collaboration and innovation across our business,” the statement said. “We will be consolidating certain functions into fewer offices, including to our headquarters in Sunnyvale, California.”

The decision follows Yahoo’s announcement in January that it will spin off its stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, which last year listed on the New York Stock Exchange in a record offer.

Yahoo is looking for new ways to trim expenses as it comes under pressure from investors.

Last month, Yahoo cut about 1 percent of its workforce, or about 125 people, including editorial staff in Canada. The company also closed its office in Amman, Jordan, and eliminated about 400 positions at its site in Bangalore, India, in recent months.

Yahoo’s move is the latest in a series of retrenchments by .S technology companies operating in China. Last month, gamemaker Zynga Inc. said it would close its Beijing office, terminating 71 employees.

Microsoft Corp. said in December it was shutting phone factories in Beijing and Dongguan as part of a consolidation of its Asia manufacturing in Vietnam.