Anti-US protests staged at 11 KFC branches in China

BEIJING: Chinese people who blame Washington for an international tribunal's dismissal of Beijing's maritime claims have called for a boycott of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in protests outside branches in 11 cities, reports said.

Crowds gathered to wave placards and shout anti-US slogans outside restaurants stretching from the northern province of Hebei to Hunan province, some 1,600 kilometres away on Monday, internet portal Sohu said.

"Get out of China, KFC and McDonalds," one protestor's banner read. Chinese state-media blamed the US for encouraging the Philippines to take a dispute over China's claims in the South China Sea to an international tribunal, which last week said Beijing's stance had no legal basis.

KFC is a potent symbol of American capitalism in the world's most populous country, with over 4,000 branches. The protests began last weekend in Hebei, before spreading to large provincial capitals in the south such as Changsha and Hangzhou, Sohu said.