Facebook took another step in its march into China.
The Palo Alto-based social networking site opened an office in Hong Kong to support marketing and advertising efforts as Facebook expands in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The move puts Facebook at China's doorstep, where the social network has been banned in the mainland for almost two years.
China's 450 million Internet users and its expanding mobile market is seen as a prime target for Facebook's future expansion.
Facebook has said its biggest resolution for the new year is to expand its product on mobile devices. The company started by launching an app for feature phones.
The company's CEO was in China in December with his girlfriend, who is Chinese American, and met with several Chinese Internet companies.
The meetings prompted speculation of Facebook's interest in expanding into China. Zuckerberg studying Chinese couldn't hurt.
