Asia Tech Wire (Aug 6) -- McDonald's China Chief Executive Officer Phyllis Cheung announced Tuesday that the fast-food restaurant chain plans to invest 4 billion yuan ($560 million) in digitalization over the next five years.

The announcement comes as McDonald's China officially opened its new science and technology research and development center on Tuesday.

As McDonald's China's research headquarters, it can accommodate more than 450 technology experts.

Zhang said that in the next five years, McDonald's China plans to invest 4 billion yuan to ramp up digital R&D and innovation.

She said the technology R&D team in McDonald's China has expanded from 20 people to 250 today.

By the end of June 2024, there were more than 6,200 McDonald's restaurants in mainland China, employing more than 200,000 people.