Coca-Cola savors 125th anniversary

Potential of Chinese market is one reason the company is all smiles

ATLANTA, Georgia - On May 8, 125 years ago, when John Pemberton poured the first cup of Coca Cola in Jacob's Pharmacy just a few blocks away from the current Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, the inventor of the carbonated drink probably never imagined it would become a beverage shared by people from over 200 countries today.

In 1978, The Coca-Cola Company was selected as the only company that was allowed to sell packaged cold drinks in China. So far, the company has invested more than $1.3 billion in the Chinese market with additional $2 billion planned to invest in 2008.