HSBC Holdings , Europe’s biggest bank by market value, plans to add employee  and more than 10 branches in China as the world’s most biggest  country rebounds from the global recession.

“We certainly expect to continue with our existing rate of expansion,” Richard Yorke, chief executive officer of HSBC (China) Ltd., said in an interview yesterday in Shanghai. “In terms of long-term strategic importance, China is probably at the very top.”

 “China’s rising economic prowess makes it a necessity, if not a priority, for global banks to increase allocation of resources in the country,” said James Liu, a Shanghai-based analyst at Sinopac Financial Holdings Co. “HSBC apparently is a leader on that front.”

 “We are looking to list here in China as quickly as any change in regulation will allow,” Yorke said. “This is something we are actively working towards, but we don’t know the timeframe yet.”

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