ZHENGZHOU, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- The American food and drinks giant PepsiCo is building a new bottling plant in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, amid efforts to expand its market share in the country.

Construction on the new plant, the 23rd such facility in China, started Thursday in the capital of Henan Province, said Tang Lianmao, general manager of the new plant, Zhengzhou PepsiCo Co. Ltd.

Covering 80,000 square meters, the plant is expected to start operating at the end of next year, Tang said.

The new plant will be able to produce 90,000 tonnes of carbonated beverages and 95,000 tonnes of uncarbonated beverages a year, he said.

No capital investment figures were revealed.

PepsiCo announced in May that it would invest 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in China in the coming three years.

Under its plan, the company will build 10-12 new food and drinks plants in the country.

Source: news. xinhuanet.com