Restaurant revenues in China reached 3.94 trillion yuan (about 550 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of 2024, showing a 6.2 percent growth, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Data indicates that almost 1.32 million restaurants were registered across China in the first half of 2024, with over 4,800 new registrations in Beijing alone.
In a newly opened mall called Super Hops-On in Beijing's Changping District, 30 percent of its existing stores are dedicated to food services.
"About 20 percent of our restaurants are regional firsts, with some being national or Beijing firsts," said marketing director Li Yihui.
Except for new fancy restaurants occurring in Beijing, smaller and everyday dining establishments are also becoming more popular.
A local "hulatang" (spicy soup) restaurant, which can yield an average daily revenue exceeding 20,000 yuan, adjusted its flavors to better meet Beijing customer expectations.
"We've reduced the spice level slightly to cater to local tastes and extended operating hours to match people's work schedules," said Jiao Wen, manager at Fangzhongshan Hulatang.
To meet diverse dining preferences, many restaurants have also launched fast-turnover outlets near office spaces and delivery-only kitchens.
China's catering sector revenue reaches 3.94 trln yuan in first 3 quarters
China aims to achieve secure and reliable supply of key core artificial intelligence (AI) technologies by 2027, with its industrial scale and empowerment level remaining among the world's forefront, according to a recent government action plan.
The plan, jointly issued by eight departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Cyberspace Administration of China, and the National Development and Reform Commission, outlines an ambitious push to deeply integrate AI with the manufacturing sector, foster new quality productive forces and comprehensively empower new industrialization. By 2027, the plan targets the deep application of three to five general-purpose large AI models in manufacturing, the development of specialized, full-coverage industry-specific large models, the creation of 100 high-quality industrial datasets, and the promotion of 500 typical application scenarios.
It also aims to cultivate two to three globally influential ecosystem-leading enterprises, a batch of specialized and sophisticated small and medium-sized enterprises, and a group of enabling service providers proficient in both AI technology and industry know-how.
Furthermore, China plans to build a world-leading open-source ecosystem, enhance security governance capabilities, and contribute Chinese solutions to global AI development.
The document outlines measures including promoting the coordinated development of AI chips' hardware and software, supporting innovations in model training and inference methods, fostering key industry-specific large models, and deeply embedding large model technology into core production processes.
The plan also emphasizes making breakthroughs in key technologies such as security protection for industrial model algorithms and training data protection.
China aims for secure, reliable supply of AI core tech by 2027
