BENGALURU, March 28 (Reuters) - Private equity firm

Blackstone will invest an additional $25 billion in

private equity assets in India over the next five years, its

Asia executive told Bloomberg News in an interview.

Blackstone already manages assets, ranging from warehouses

and data centres to healthcare firms, worth $50 billion in the

South Asian country.

The New York-based firm will hire 20 investment

professionals in the country and double its office space in

Mumbai, Blackstone's head of private equity in Asia, Amit Dixit,

told the publication.

With its booming equities market, India has emerged as an

attractive destination for investors across the world as they

reduce their exposure to China, where hopes of a recovery remain

clouded.

Blackstone's president, Jonathan Gray, had said last year

that India is its top Asian market and one of its

best-performing geographies.

Dixit told Bloomberg that Blackstone is exploring

opportunities across a wide range of sectors, from data centers

to infrastructure projects like airports, roads, and ports and

India's nascent electronic manufacturing sector.

Blackstone did not immediately respond to a Reuters request

for comment.