Starbucks' long march into China has breached the Great Wall itself. Tourists will be able to drink cappuccino, frappuccino and other coffee concoctions at one of China's greatest cultural treasures after the Seattle-based company announced it had opened a shop at Badaling, 47 miles north of Beijing.

Today's news comes five years after Starbucks penetrated the Forbidden City in Beijing, a move resented at the time by some Chinese who objected to the intrusion of such an instantly recognisable symbol of American consumerism inside the centuries-old palace complex and a national monument.

But US food giants are now well entrenched in the Middle Kingdom. Burger King recently announced that it was moving into China, albeit a little late. McDonald's already has 600 outlets and KFC has 1,000. Wal-Mart, the US retail behemoth, has 47 stores with undoubtedly plans for more.

Business at Badaling should be brisk for Starbucks. About 130 million domestic and foreign tourists have flocked to the site since it became the earliest section of the wall to be opened to sightseeers. Badaling is also the location of choice for photo opportunities for visiting dignitaries including George Bush and Richard Nixon.

The Starbucks shop at Badaling is the culmination of a campaign dating back to 1999. Starbucks says China, traditionally a nation of tea drinkers, is one of its fastest growing markets and will eventually be one of its largest outside of the US, where it has 6,000 shops. It currently has 40 stores in China.

Winning permission to open a store at such a prized location probably took some kowtowing to the authorities. Starbucks says its commitment to social responsibility is an integral part of its culture and business practices and only yesterday announced the establishment of the Starbucks China Education Project, a $5m (£2.7m) commitment to support educational programmes in China.

The occasion was attended by the actor Ziyi Zhang, one of the stars of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and selected by Time Magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2005.

"Upon learning about Starbucks decision to support education initiatives in China, I was moved," she said. "As a Chinese national, I am deeply grateful to global companies such as Starbucks for their philanthropy. I applaud them and support them and am always eager to be an advocate for caring that is borderless."