Appleby has received approval from China's Ministry of Justice to offer offshore legal services from its base in Shanghai.

The outfit, which opened the China office in April 2012 but until now has only been providing a suite of fiduciary and administrative services, is understood to be the first to obtain an offshore practice licence in the country, with most of its rivals servicing the market from Hong Kong.

It is now planning to grow its China practice with a focus on areas such as corporate, commercial, finance, litigation and insolvency.

The development will be led by the firm's managing partner for the Seychelles and Mauritius, Malcolm Moller, with assistance from group chairman and Hong Kong managing partner Frances Woo.

Moller will continue to be based in Mauritius but will travel regularly to Shanghai, while the firm has also put in place a programme for monthly business development visits by other Hong Kong partners and their associates.

In addition to Frances, existing partners in Hong Kong include Jeffrey Kirk, Judy Lee and John Melia – all of whom focus on corporate and commercial – and Eliot Simpson, who specialises in litigation.

Another offshore firm with a presence in Shanghai is Ogier, which was the first to open in China in 2011 with the hire of Rio Tinto legal head Kristy Calvert.

However, the base acts as a link between China and the firm's international network, rather than offering legal services directly, which are provided out of Hong Kong.

Related: Offshore firm Appleby set for Shanghai launch