TMTPOST -- Chinese tech giants Didi and Meituan are ramping up their bets on Brazil’s fast-growing food delivery sector, setting the stage for an intense battle for market share.

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Didi’s local subsidiary 99 said it will invest 2 billion reais ($188 million) into its food delivery platform 99Food by June 2026. The company also unveiled a 6 billion reais support program to help delivery partners buy and lease electric motorcycles and bicycles. The announcement came the same day Didi founder and CEO Cheng Wei reportedly met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Launched in April 2023, 99Food is integrated with Didi’s ride-hailing and payments services, and is already available in cities including Goiânia and São Paulo. The company plans to expand into more than 100 Brazilian cities by mid-2026.

Rival Meituan is pursuing an even bigger push. In May, the company announced a $1 billion investment over five years to grow its food delivery app Keeta in Brazil. CEO Chou Guangyu said the funds will go toward digital tools, logistics infrastructure, marketing, and hiring over 1,000 local employees. Keeta aims to reach 15 metropolitan areas by June 2026 and cover 1,000 cities within five years.

But the two Chinese players are already clashing in court. In August, a São Paulo judge ordered 99 to stop manipulating search results for Meituan’s Keeta brand or face daily fines. Keeta also accused 99Food of pressuring merchants into exclusive contracts, drawing support from Brazil’s bar and restaurant association. Meanwhile, 99 has filed its own lawsuit alleging Keeta copied its branding.

The legal disputes underscore just how high the stakes are in Brazil, a market Meituan’s founder Wang Xing recently described as a “major global opportunity.”