MUMBAI: BBC is increasing its investments into newsgathering and international business coverage from emerging markets such as Asia and BRIC countries.

The pubcaster has launched an international search for a new role of chief business correspondent as part of its drive to expand the breadth and depth of its international business coverage.

Based in East Asia, the BBC is looking for a heavyweight journalist who can bring fresh global perspectives and break major stories from around the world.

While their prime focus will be reporting for international outlets such as BBC World News, BBC World Service and BBC.com, the successful candidate will also bring major stories and reports to UK audiences across the BBC‘s flagship UK news services. They will report across all platforms - TV, radio and online.

The announcement follows the BBC‘s decision last year in its Delivering Quality First report, to put new investment into newsgathering in global priority areas such as the BRIC countries and emerging markets such as Asia.

BBC Global News director Peter Horrocks said, "This high-profile appointment is just one part of significant investment in global newsgathering. It will strengthen our international reporting from priority areas such as the emerging markets in Asia."

Added BBC‘s business and economics unit head Jon Zilkha said, "Robert Peston and Stephanie Flanders, who lead the BBC‘s business and economics coverage, ensure the BBC is widely renowned for its exclusive reporting and commentary. This new role will help enrich the way our programmes tell the story of business as a new economic world order emerges."