Liberty Mutual Group, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Liberty Insurance Company, has been approved to start branch operations in Zhejiang by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC).

Liberty Mutual said that it is the first foreign property and casualty company to operate in Zhejiang, a province of around 47 million people located 700 miles south of Beijing on China’s southeastern coast.

According to Liberty Mutual, all three of its operations in China – Chongqing, Beijing and Zhejiang, will offer personal lines products and a range of commercial lines products.

Liberty Mutual Group president David Long said that the company’s strategy of being the first insurer to enter markets untapped by foreign companies in China continues to be successful and CIRC’s approval of Zhejiang branch reinforces its commitment to provide insurance in China.