US companies are picky about investing in China. The exceptions? Burgers, lattes

It was a tumultuous 2023 for the Chinese economy. Some of the world's biggest brands took action or said they were considering shifting manufacturing away from China during a time of unease about security controls and wobbly relations between Beijing and Washington. But there was at least one bright spot for China in all the tough news about declining foreign investment. American fast-food companies have announced a surge of investment in the market of 1.4 billion people. KFC, McDonald's and Starbucks are among the companies that have announced plans for major investment in China in recent months.