Head of Dell's China operations resigns

Foo Piau Phang, the president of Dell's operations in China has resigned, the company said Tuesday.

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David Miller, who has worked since January with Foo in what Dell calls a "two-in-a-box" structure, will oversee the company's operations in China and Hong Kong, the company said in a statement. The transition will be completed by the end of November, it said.

Dell's statement did not offer an explanation for Foo's resignation other than to say he planned to take a "break" from his career.

The announcement of Foo's departure had been expected but confirmation came suddenly. Earlier Tuesday, several Chinese media outlets reported that Foo had resigned and said the company planned to lay off up to 150 employees in China. Reached for comment, a Dell spokeswoman initially dismissed these reports as rumors, but within hours the company released the statement that confirmed Foo had indeed stepped down.

The statement did not mention the planned layoffs reported by the Chinese press.

In general, Dell has been a strong performer in China during Foo's tenure, although it has a much smaller share of the market than its Chinese competitors, including Lenovo Group.

Dell has done particularly well with corporate customers and in China's largest cities where the company's direct-sales model is most effective. But the company has lagged behind its Chinese rivals in rural areas and small towns, where demand for PCs -- particularly low-cost desktops -- has begun to take off during the last year or so.