As of February 17th, 2025, Mixue surpassed McDonalds to become the largest food & beverage (F&B) chain in the world. McDonalds became the largest F&B chain by both revenue and number of operating stores by 1979. Since then, McDonalds and Starbucks have taken turns claiming the #1 spot for most stores opened globally, with the other top spots also being held by U.S.-based F&B companies such as Subway, KFC, and Domino’s.

Now that a Chinese-based company has secured the #1 spot, what could this trend mean for the future of U.S.-China Relations? In a time where relations are becoming increasingly sour, and competition through tech, AI, and international influence is only growing, China’s ascent in the F&B industry could tell us a bit about the future.

Among U.S. politicians and International Relations scholars, there is discourse regarding the decline of the U.S. and the rise of China. One important reality to consider falls in line with the theory of convergence, which says that as a country moves from earlier stages of industrialization and rapid growth, it will begin to further resemble nations that have already exceeded this benchmark, achieving this status in a shorter period. This phenomenon can give the perception that this rapid growth may not plateau and will continue. This can often result in developing countries, in time, exceeding some developed nations.

These comparisons depicting the growth of Shanghai and New York City can be shown as a physical way to observe the theory of convergence, with Shanghai’s development as a city happening in a shorter period of time, and being a more technologically advanced city than New York.

The dominance of one Chinese F&B company may not be enough to confirm that this phenomenon aligns with the theory of convergence. However, considering that Luckin Coffee, another Chinese-based company founded in mid-2017 is now the 6th largest F&B company, it would be a stretch to assume that Mixue’s rise to #1 is an anomaly.

While companies fluctuate, having periods of rapid growth, stagnation, and decline, the entrance of Chinese F&B companies into the list of the largest in the world, a list that has long been owned by North American companies, is extremely monumental.

Whether this development is because China is exceeding the U.S. in some categories, falling in line with the theory of convergence, or in the off-chance that this is an anomaly, it is safe to say that China’s development will continue, and other Chinese companies will continue to rise. However, it is important to keep in mind that every nation that experiences rapid industrialization does so at different rates, and it can manifest itself differently, as shown through the theory of convergence.