Canadian law firm Gowling Lafleur Henderson is set to launch its first office in Asia, with a Beijing opening planned for later this year.

The firm has applied for a licence to set up a representative office in the Chinese capital, with plans to open officially in September.

The office will mark the Ottawa-based law firm's third international presence outside Canada, alongside bases in Moscow and London.

The office, which will initially be staffed by lawyers from the firm's other offices, will focus on the energy, infrastructure and mining sectors.

Gowling Lafleur chair and chief executive Scott Jolliffe commented: "We're very busy at the moment and part of that is from our Chinese clients. As the country goes through a period of rapid growth, it has an increasing demand for Canadian commodities such as minerals, oil and gas.

"We've been working with Chinese companies for a number of years in these sectors. For the most part we've been making do with flying people in and out but the level of activity has increased to the point that we need people on the ground in Beijing."

Gowling Lafleur has carried out work in China since 1985, with its Russian intellectual property practice last month marking its 
20th anniversary.

The London office, which acts as a hub for the firm's energy, infrastructure and mining practice across EMEA, opened in 2008.

Jolliffe added: "Right now with all the growth in Asia there are a lot of exciting opportunities in energy and mining, so we might look much closer at forming alliances with firms in the region."