FDA has received approval from the U.S. State Department to establish eight full-time permanent FDA positions at U.S. diplomatic posts in the People’s Republic of China, pending authorization from the Chinese government. This is an important step forward in FDA’s plans to hire and place FDA staff in China over the next 18 months, the agency says. In addition, FDA will be hiring a total of five local Chinese nationals to work with the new FDA staff at the U.S. embassy in Beijing and the U.S. Consulates General in Shanghai and Guangzhou.