XL Capital has said it wants to focus its future business in reinsurance and liability insurance, in China.
The company set up a representative office in Beijing in January, but is not yet directly involved in the insurance business in the country.
Brian O'Hara, president and chief executive officer of XL Capital said: "We would like to better understand the market before making any strategic moves.
"That's why we prefer to establish a representative office first rather than setting up a joint-venture, although the latter choice would bring about more speedy expansion."
"Although liability insurance is still in the early stages in China, market demand has increased rapidly as more multinational companies rush into China and more local enterprises go global," O'Hara added.
