(Telecompaper) Yahoo is closing its research and development centre in Beijing as part of its drive to consolidate some jobs into fewer offices, the South China Morning Post reported. The centre employs around 350 people, mostly engineers and scientists. Layoffs will begin at the end of the month, sources said. A Yahoo spokesperson confirmed the move, saying employees in Beijng have been informed. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company will lay off 200-300 employees. Sources say the decision to close the Beijing office was not caused by issues related to censorship or pressure from the Chinese government. Yahoo stopped offering services to users in China in 2013. That year, it told email users to transfer their accounts to Alimail, an email service offered by Yahoo partner Alibaba. The Chinese address for its home page, Yahoo.cn, is redirecting visitors to the Singapore site.