Dow Chemical announced on Thursday the opening of a new office in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province.

With the new office, Dow now operates 18 manufacturing sites and seven business centers across the Greater China region.

Dow recorded total sales of approximately US$4.5 billion in Greater China last year, making it Dow's second largest international market.

The establishment of the new office is the compoany's latest move in implementing its Greater China Growth Strategy unveiled late last year and targeting a doubling of Dow's annual sales to US$7 to 8 billion by 2015.

Dow said that it expects its business in the interior of China to occupy an increasing proportion of its sales. Currently, Dow's business in the coastal provinces accounts for approximately 75 percent of total sales on the Chinese mainland.

"In support of the government's 'Go West' strategy, we will significantly expand our market reach in the western China region," said Peter Sykes, president of Dow Greater China.