Thai hospitality group Dusit International has announced a partnership with Chinese developer Changzhou Qiao Yu Group, which will see it add 5,000 rooms to its portfolio by 2020 at locations across China.

The joint venture, which sees the establishment of Dusit Fudu International, is one of a series of recent announcements made by Dusit International as part of its “year of expansion”.

The deal includes five hotel management agreements, five developments in the pipeline, and additional management agreements to be announced in Jiangsu and Guangdong provinces.

Dusit International and Changzhou Qiao Yu Group will be the major shareholders but will be joined by industry veterans Giovanni Angelini and Harris Yang, who between them have 75 years worth of experience.

Dusit International managing director and chief executive Chanin Donavanik said: “This is an extremely important milestone in our company’s history, as we see China as the best market for hotel management opportunities.”

Further to expansion in China Dusit International this month announced it would be opening a new 79-room dusitD2 hotel in Khao Yai, Thailand, by the end of 2014.

The development will include a grill restaurant, meeting room, outdoor event lawn, hot spring spa and library, and is a two-hour drive from Bangkok and 13km from UNESCO World Heritage site Khao Yai National Park.

In January it announced its second African hotel, also a dusitD2, would be opening in Nairobi, Kenya, in the third quarter this year.