Hewlett-Packard Co, which last week recalled 70,000 laptop batteries in the US because of a fire hazard, today said it is recalling 15,000 laptop batteries in China as well because of a danger they could overheat.

HP, the world's largest PC maker, said it will replace the batteries used in HP Pavilion, Compaq Presario and HP Compaq model notebooks as they could overheat in extreme conditions and pose a fire hazard, China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said on its website (www.aqsiq.gov.cn).

Incidentally, the lithium-ion batteries being recalled by HP both in the US and China were made in China.

While no comment was available from HP, these laptop PCs were manufactured between late 2007 and early 2008, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The CPSC had cited two reports of the batteries catching fire due to overheating, causing minor property damage.

The CPSC provided a list of the computer models using the batteries on its web site CPSC.gov. It said HP was providing free replacement batteries.

HP last week announced a 3 per cent fall in revenue in fiscal second quarter ended 30 April 2009, at $27.4 billion, from a year earlier and a 3 per cent jump when adjusted for the effects of currency.

In the second quarter, GAAP operating profit was $2.3 billion and GAAP diluted earnings per share was $0.70, down from $0.80 in the prior-year period. Non-GAAP operating profit was $2.8 billion, with non-GAAP diluted EPS of $0.86, down from $0.87 in the prior-year period. Non-GAAP financial information excludes $382 million of adjustments on an after-tax basis, or $0.16 per diluted share, related primarily to amortisation of purchased intangible assets, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges.

Revenue grew 9 per cent in the Americas to $12.1 billion. Revenue declined 11 per cent in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 10 per cent in Asia Pacific to $10.6 billion and $4.7 billion, respectively. When adjusted for the effects of currency, revenue grew 12 per cent in the Americas while declining 2 per cent in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 5 per cent in Asia Pacific. Revenue from outside of the United States in the second quarter accounted for 64 per cent of total revenue, with revenue in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) declining 12 per cent over the prior-year period while accounting for 9 per cent of total HP revenue.