IBM's (IBM) Chairman, President and CEO Samuel J. Palmisano has launched a major initiative to bring IBM's global information technology services expertise and capabilities to China.

"IBM has a long history of collaborating with our Chinese clients and with the government of China in support of the country's rapid economic development," Palmisano said. "This services initiative will strengthen our role as China's innovation partner based on our portfolio of the world's best technology combined with our business management and services skills. The announcements we are making today strengthen our ability to help develop future services skills in China while providing solutions now to meet the needs of the evolving Chinese economy."

As part of that initiative, Palmisano announced that IBM will work with the Chinese Ministry of Education to introduce a services science curriculum within Chinese universities.

IBM will also coordinate development of a pilot program with the Ministry of Health to use information technology to improve the quality of regional medical services throughout the country. It will also expand industry-specific business services through the use of Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) and increase focus within the China Research Lab on services specifically linked to small and medium-size businesses.

IBM currently has 8,300 employees in China. The company says third quarter revenue increased 27% compared to the same period last year.