Fast food chains hungry for expansion

The battle between US fast food chains Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald's for market share in China seems to be hotting up after both companies announced expansion plans and a slew of price cuts to woo customers recently.

At a ceremony marking the opening of the 200th KFC restaurant in Beijing yesterday, Zhao Li, the company's general manager, said that despite the slowdown in business, the fried chicken specialist will open more restaurants in 2009 throughout China than "the previous year's average" of 400 new openings.

KFC has opened more than 2,300 stores in 450 Chinese cities, he said.