American cafe chain Starbucks has confirmed to the Chinese local media that it has increased the prices of coffee drinks sold in its chain stores on the Chinese mainland.

The Chinese high-end restaurant chain South Beauty has announced the opening of a new outlet in Tangshan, Hebei province, which is also the brand's first self-owned restaurant in the province.

According to McDonald's China, the international fast food chain opened 200 new restaurants in China in 2011, marking a new expansion record in the country.

Lu Jianjun, vice president of the Chinese dairy company Mengniu, told local media that though the price of raw milk continues to grow, the company's gross margin will also increase year over year.

Chinese hot pot restaurant chain Haidilao plans to open two new outlets in America and two in Singapore in 2012.

Starbucks Coffee Company has entered another five new Chinese cities: Langfang, Hebei; Zhengzhou, Henan; Harbin, Heilongjiang; Xiangtan, Hunan; and Zhoushan, Zhejiang.