SHANGHAI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Pepsi has set up its first research center outside the United States aiming to develop food and beverages to accommodate the tastes of Chinese consumers.

????"Every market demands its own flavor of food and beverages. We will put more such products on the Chinese market this year," said Luo Enyu, head of the research center, which will be based in Shanghai.

????Researchers will come from all over China to develop products for different parts of the country, Luo added.

????Pepsi has also built a world-class lab in Shanghai to analyze and improve food and beverages.

????The research center shows Pepsi is keeping its word to make long-term investment in China, said an official with the Ministry of Commerce.

????As one of the first foreign firms to enter China, Pepsi has made a total investment exceeding 1 billion U.S. dollars and set up more than 40 subsidiaries and joint ventures in the country. Enditem