China and the United States are divided on many issues, from tariffs and technology to Taiwan.
asserted
China → divide → Taiwan
American restaurant and beverage chains are expanding rapidly in China, drawn by the potential customer pool in a country with four times the U.S. population.
asserted
chains → expand → population
China’s languishing economy and cutthroat industry competition, meanwhile, have Chinese chains trying their luck in the U.S., turning crumbs and straws into a two-way cultural bridge between the two superpowers.
asserted
chains → languish → superpowers
The bilateral trade in burgers and bubble tea is business- and consumer-led gastrodiplomacy in action, said Yaling Jiang, the founder of ApertureChina, a market research company with headquarters in Shanghai and London.
asserted
Jiang → lead → Shanghai
In China, recent American arrivals like Popeyes and Five Guys are seen as a guilty pleasure, she said, while the increasingly international palates of Americans have created space for Chinese brands to serve as their nation’s unofficial ambassadors.
asserted
brands → see → ambassadors
“Consumerism builds a safe, introductory channel for contemporary Chinese culture and can be a great way to elevate China’s soft power,” Jiang said.
asserted
Jiang → build → power
The White House has not revealed the menu for the state dinner that U.S. President Donald Trump is hosting for Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.
asserted
Trump → reveal → Thursday
But a taste for a cheap, crowd-pleasing meal may be something the two leaders share.
uncertain
leaders → please → meal
In 2013, Xi made a rare public visit to a steamed-bun restaurant in Beijing.
asserted
Xi → make → Beijing
He waited in line and ordered a 21-yuan ($3) meal featuring six pork-and-scallion buns, vegetables, and a bowl of stewed pork liver and intestines.
asserted
He → wait → liver
Trump’s love of fast food is legendary; he even manned a fry station at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s during his 2024 campaign.
asserted
he → man → campaign
American fast-food companies are expanding their presence in China
Last month, Chinese customers lined up in the rain for the opening of the first Church’s Texas Chicken in Shanghai.
asserted
customers → expand → Shanghai
Wendy’s says it anticipates opening 1,000 restaurants there over the next decade.
asserted
it → say → decade
Established players are deepening their reach as well.
asserted
players → deepen → reach
McDonald’s plans 1,000 new Chinese restaurants this year and 10,000 total by 2028.
asserted
McDonald → plan → 2028
Burger King, which arrived in China in 2005, says it expects to triple its store count to 4,000 by 2035.
asserted
it → arrive → 2035
“Despite political tensions between the U.S. and China, Chinese actually still go crazy for American brands,” said Shaun Rein, founder and managing director of the Shanghai-based China Market Research Group.
asserted
Rein → go → Group
KFC became the first major American fast-food chain to enter mainland China when it opened a Beijing restaurant in 1987.
asserted
it → become → 1987
At the time, it was viewed as a premium destination worth taking a date to, Rein said.
asserted
Rein → view → date
McDonald’s and Pizza Hut arrived in 1990.
asserted
McDonald → arrive → 1990
“McDonald’s and KFC were a beacon of health and hygiene compared to what you had in the rest of the market,” Rein said.
asserted
Rein → compare → market
The Kentucky-born fried chicken chain counts about 13,000 restaurants in China, compared with around 3,750 in the U.S.
asserted
chain → bear → U.S.
American brands see room for further growth.
asserted
brands → see → growth
Much of China’s population lives in the smaller, inland cities where brands like McDonald’s and Starbucks are rolling out stores, said Sory Park, a project manager at China-focused market research and strategy firm Daxue Consulting.
asserted
Park → live → firm
That doesn’t make China a cakewalk for foreign restaurant companies.
asserted
China → make → companies
Most American chains now rely on Chinese partners to find locations and share the financial risk.
asserted
chains → rely → risk
Earlier this year, a Chinese investment firm acquired a 60% stake in Starbucks’ China operation after several years of falling store traffic.
asserted
firm → acquire → traffic
American chains trade on their brand names and signature products, but many tailor their menus to appeal to Chinese customers.
asserted
many → trade → customers
KFC restaurants in China, for example, serve french fries and Original Recipe chicken alongside custardy egg tarts and congee, a savory rice porridge.
asserted
restaurants → serve → tarts
“They need to operate like a Chinese company but deliver American menus that incorporate Chinese values, eating habits, and tastes,” Park said.
asserted
Park → need → values
Chinese fast-food chains seek new opportunities in the US
Mixue, one of the world’s largest fast-food chains with more than 53,000 locations, opened its first three U.S. stores in December.
asserted
Mixue → seek → December
Mirroring the Shanghai crowd outside Church’s Texas Chicken, New York customers waited in the cold to sample soft-serve ice cream, fruit teas and milk tea with toppings like coconut jelly and taro balls at a store in Herald Square.
asserted
customers → mirror → Square
Mixue has announced at least two dozen more planned locations across four states.
asserted
Mixue → announce → states
At least nine other mainland Chinese chains have made their U.S. debuts since 2023, all but one specializing primarily in drinks and snacks.
asserted
all → make → drinks
They include Heytea, with 40 U.S. locations, and Luckin Coffee, which overtook Starbucks as China’s biggest coffee brand and has 20 stores in New York.
asserted
which → include → York
Wallace, a chain founded in 2000, grew to more than 20,000 restaurants by selling American-style chicken and hamburgers in China.
asserted
Wallace → found → China
In California, where the second U.S. Wallace opened last month, the company tweaked its chicken sandwich recipe to appeal to American diners.
asserted
company → open → diners
Before entering the U.S., many major Chinese food-and-beverage chains expanded in Southeast Asia.
asserted
chains → enter → Asia
A real estate slump and weak consumer spending made growth harder to find at home.
asserted
growth → make → home
The average life span of China’s 16 million restaurants and chains was expected to fall to 15 months last year, according to a U.S. government report.
uncertain
span → expect → report
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
