SHANGHAI — U.S. fast-food giant McDonald’s Corp. plans to nearly double its presence in the world’s fastest developing economy over the next few years, senior officials from the company said Tuesday after they launched the first McDonald’s Hamburger University in China.

McDonald’s outlined its ambitious China plans at a time when relations between foreign businesses and Beijing are souring, with a growing number of Western companies complaining of a deteriorating operating environment in the country.

Read more: McDonald’s to Double Restaurants in China