While drive-thru pickup windows are almost as ubiquitous as the double arches in Western countries they are a rarity in China. As millions of Chinese become first-time car owners they're also catching up on the art of fast food purchasing.

"Drive-thrus are the future of McDonald's in China," said Jeffrey Schwartz, CEO of McDonalds (China) Co. Ltd in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang.

McDonald's has already opened three drive-thrus in China, with two in south China's Guangdong Province and one in Shanghai. The fourth drive-thru will be opened by the end of August in Zhoushan and the fifth late this year in Hangzhou.

McDonald's has 770 restaurants and plans to open 100 more every year. More will feature drive-thru windows, he said.

McDonald's China and China's top oil refinery China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) signed an agreement in June to open drive-thrus at some of Sinopec's 30,000 gas stations.

Sinopec will provide the space and McDonald's will operate the restaurants.

Soon after McDonald's and Sinopec announced their cooperation agreement, McDonald's rival KFC announced it would open 100 drive-thrus in China in three years, up from the four it currently operates.

KFC, which opened its first restaurant in China in 1987, has more than 1,200 restaurants in the country.

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