(Yicai Global) July 13 -- In response to media reports claiming Carlyle Group and Trustar Capital are thinking about selling USD4 billion worth of shares in McDonald's China, the operator of McDonald's restaurants in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong reportedly said that its shareholding structure will not change.

McDonald's China is optimistic about the long-term prospects of the local market and will use the capital and resources of Carlyle, Trustar, and McDonald's to accelerate its development and achieve the goal of having 10,000 restaurants in China, the company told The Paper today.

Carlyle and Citic are planning to raise USD4 billion from the sale of McDonald's China shares to wealth funds, including Singaporean sovereign fund GIC and Abu Dhabi sovereign fund Mubadala Investment, Bloomberg reported earlier today. McDonald's China's shareholders have already agreed to the plan, the report added.

In April, some rumors claimed Carlyle was looking for new partners to invest in McDonald's China, which it valued at USD8 billion to USD10 billion, to allow some existing investors to exit and new ones to bring in fresh capital. But Carlyle planned to maintain control of the business with Trustar, according to The Paper.

McDonald's China sold most of its business in the mainland and Hong Kong for USD1.7 billion in 2017. The company then quietly renamed itself Jingongmen, which means golden arches in English, in October of that year. Trustar, Carlyle, and McDonald's own 52 percent, 28 percent, and 20 percent, respectively, of McDonald's China.

Editor: Futura Costaglione