Updated at 5.12pm: In a taste of things to come after Beijing joins the World Trade Organisation (WTO), 14 of Pepsi-Cola partners in the mainland are demanding a better deal from the United States soft drinks giant.
They want the freedom to develop their own brands, a bigger share of revenue and a bigger say in how their products are sold and marketed - while Pepsi may decide to go it alone under the more liberal investment rules after entry into WTO.
Pepsi has invested more than US$300 million (HK$2.3 billion) in China in more than 20 joint ventures or co-operative firms, with most of its partners chosen by local governments, under rules which restricted limit foreign ownership.
China is an increasingly important market for it and its global rival, Coca-Cola. According to official figures, soft drink production in the mainland grew by an average 23 per cent a year from 1980 to 1999. Last year it rose by 25.7 per cent to 14.91 million tonnes from the year before, of which Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola between them produced 3.6 million.