Earlier in September, Meituan went live in Saudi Arabia under its global brand, Keeta.

This comes more than a year after Meituan entered its first overseas market, Hong Kong, where it quickly overtook established players like Foodpanda, becoming the market leader in order volume due to aggressive promotions and a focus on low Average Order Value (AOV) meals.

Now, Meituan is entering Saudi Arabia, a promising market for food delivery but one that presents unique cultural and operational dynamics for Meituan compared to its previous markets. And unlike many Chinese tech companies going global, Meituan faces the challenge of being an operationally heavy business.

Will Tony Qiu, Head of International Business at Meituan and former lead of DiDi’s expansion in Latin America, be able to navigate these complexities?