Triumvirate - McAfee, China Unicom and Baidu

McAfee joins the suit of occidental companies that have established commercial relations in China, or that have formed a partner base here in order to manifest their presence in the fastest-growing economy in the world. The online security company has partnered with several Chinese partners among which China Unicom and Baidu. The purpose of the triumvirate is the creation of a new Research & Development center in the city of Shenzhen.

"China is a very significant market for us, and the reasons for that are kind of obvious," said Lawrence Wee, McAfee's president of Asia-Pacific at a press conference in Beijing. "The country's expanding Internet market and the widespread adoption of mobile devices makes China an important market."

Baidu.com, the local search engine and China United Telecommunications (China Unicom) the second-largest mobile operator in the country are the two native pylons through which McAfee wants to tap into China's resources.

McAfee's antivirus software will be offered via a Baidu.com online store. Concomitantly, China Unicom will provide users with McAfee's security solutions on a subscription basis through its Lucky Mailbox mobile e-mail service.

"We will only do business in China through our partners," Wee said, disclosing that McAfee will not distribute its security products directly to companies or consumers. "We see increasing demand from Chinese organizations, from business organizations and the government, who want to have a more secure environment," he added.