Danish toy maker Lego said Monday would build a Chinese factory that employs 2,000 people to serve the rapidly growing Asian market.

Construction of the 120,000 square metre plant in Jiaxing, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Shanghai, is expected to begin early next year, the group said in a statement.

Monterrey, Mexico became Lego's first non-European factory after opening in 2009. Until now, products sold in Asia have been shipped from Europe.

The world number three toy maker considered Asia "a relatively small market" in its 2012 annual report, but said Monday it had seen annual growth of over 50 percent in recent years.

"Based on our current expectations for growth in Asia, the factory should be able to supply approximately 70-80 percent of all the Lego products sold in the region in 2017," said Michael McNulty, a senior vice president.

"The new factory will be built and run with the same technology, automation and standards for employee safety and product quality as our Lego factories in Denmark, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Mexico," he added.

Lego said it would make a "triple digit" million euro investment in the plant.

The family-owned group said in February it grew its share of the global toy market last year to 8.6 percent from 7.1 percent, as it posted a 35 percent rise in annual net profit.