A new wave of Chinese food and beverages hit Southeast Asia

Forget kung pao chicken and sweet and sour pork. There's a new wave of food and beverage chains flowing out of China, and it's all about Sichuan hot pot, braised chicken rice and pickle fish soup -- as well as mainstays like bubble tea.

Chinese food and beverage (F&B) companies have expanded quickly into Southeast Asia, and even into North America and Europe, in the past few years, driven in part by saturation at home. According to Huafu Securities, nearly 3.19 million new F&B enterprises were registered in China in 2023, a 24.2% increase from the previous year.