Coca-Cola has decided to establish three new facilities in China during 2010.

The US soft-drink giant said that it would invest around $2 billion to set up these new plants.

Mr. Muhtar Kent, chairman and chief executive officer of Coca-Cola stated that two bottling facilities will be launched in South China's Guangdong Province and Hohhot, in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

"We will also construct a new facility, which will be one of the largest plants we have in this country, in central China's Henan Province this year," Mr. Kent said.

The 42-billion investment package is for the period 2008 to 2011.

In 2009, the company kicked off three new facilities, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, east China's Jiangxi Province and central China's Hubei Province.

In addition to production, Mr. Kent said that Coca-Cola will make major investment in advertising, supply, logistics and brand modernization.

With a business guideline to the year 2020, Kent said China's actual non-alcoholic ready-to-drink market is most likely the second biggest in the world today.

"I think China will overtake the US to become the world's largest non-alcoholic ready-to-drink market in a fairly short period of time," Kent said. "It's not a question of if, but only a question of when." (With Inputs from Agencies)