By Yantoultra Ngui and Rae Wee

SINGAPORE, Sept 11 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ) is

accelerating hiring across its corporate banking business in the

Asia Pacific region and aims to increase headcount by 20% next

year as part of a regional growth push, senior executives told

Reuters.

JPMorgan ( JPM ), the largest U.S. bank, has already bumped up its

staffing levels in the division by 20% as of July, double its

initial target for 2025 growth, said Oliver Brinkmann, co-head

of global corporate banking, Asia Pacific (APAC).

"We're planning for something similar next year," Brinkmann

said in Wednesday's interview on the sidelines of JPMorgan's ( JPM )

APAC CFO and Treasurers Forum in Singapore, adding that the

extra hirings would be spread across the region.

The bank said it was unable to provide a breakdown on the

individual number of bankers it would hire.

The hiring spree underscores JPMorgan's ( JPM ) push to expand its

footprint in Asia Pacific, where it sees long-term growth driven

by digital innovation, rising intra-Asia trade and demand from

corporates in the region to go global.

"It has come at a challenging time for some within the

industry, and we think that is a great opportunity for us to

expand," he said of the bank's plans.

"When those things happen, you know competition is going to

come back strongly, so you need to take that opportunity ... We

think that's the case for the next three to four years, and

hence we're going to accelerate our hiring."

Brinkmann also pushed back on pessimism about China's growth

outlook.

China's economy has been hampered by a prolonged slump in

its property sector and weak domestic demand, with trade

disruptions owing to U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping

tariffs adding to headwinds for the export-reliant economy.

"The naysayers say China's going to slow down and it's

going to be difficult. We don't see that. Our China business is

growing 25% year-on-year."

Kerwin Clayton, Brinkmann's co-head, said the pace at which

Asian companies are going global is feeding demand for the

bank's services.

"From an Asia-Pacific standpoint ... there is growth

everywhere," he said.