As the battle for food delivery supremacy reignites in China, a similar conflict is brewing overseas, pitting domestic titans Didi and Meituan against each other once again.

Didi's decision to relaunch its food delivery service in Brazil is fueled not only by its international expansion ambitions but also by the impending entry of Meituan into the market.

Given their history of encroaching on each other's territories, Didi must be wary of the potential threat Meituan poses in Brazil. This could be a primary reason why Didi is preemptively re-entering the food delivery space there.

Interestingly, the head of Meituan's overseas venture, Keeta, is none other than former Didi Vice President Qiu Guangyu, who previously oversaw Didi's international operations, led the acquisition of Brazil's 99 Taxis, and served as its CEO during the transition.

99 Taxis is the platform through which Didi is relaunching its food delivery service, with 99 Food being one of its subsidiaries.

Qiu Guangyu is one of China's foremost experts in international business, particularly in the Latin American market. In 2018, he spearheaded Didi's acquisition of 99 Taxis, left Didi in 2020 to join Kuaishou's international division, and subsequently joined Meituan in 2022 as the head of Keeta.

▌1. Clash of the Titans in Brazil?

In April 2025, Didi announced the relaunch of its "99 Food" delivery service through its Brazilian subsidiary, 99.

The term "relaunch" is apt, as Didi first introduced "99 Food" via its acquired ride-hailing platform 99 in 2020. However, faced with the dominant local food delivery brand iFood, which holds an 80% market share and imposes an "either-or" strategy on merchants, Didi's food delivery business struggled and eventually withdrew.

This time, Didi's decision to re-enter the food delivery market in Brazil cannot be detached from the impending arrival of Meituan.

According to Brazilian media outlet Neofeed, Meituan's Keeta is set to enter the Brazilian market. Executives from Meituan have reportedly visited Brazil multiple times in recent months to discuss potential partnerships with local entrepreneurs. The company is currently in talks with local logistics providers and is establishing its tax and operational networks in the country.

Keeta's entry into Brazil is not unexpected.

In 2024, Meituan embarked on an internationalization journey, which is a core part of its strategy. After testing the waters in Hong Kong in 2023, Meituan entered Saudi Arabia in September 2024 and swiftly became the third-largest food delivery platform in the country within six months.

Didi and Meituan, the two domestic giants in ride-hailing and food delivery respectively, have a long history of rivalry. Their businesses overlapped in 2018 when Meituan launched its ride-hailing service, leading to direct competition.

It's common for ride-hailing and food delivery companies to compete. In fact, many global companies, such as Uber, offer both services. Uber Eats, for instance, operates in multiple countries and regions.

One notable difference between Latin America, Southeast Asia, and China is the availability of motorcycle ride-hailing options in addition to four-wheel vehicles, providing more opportunities for business overlap in food delivery.

Didi's entry into the Brazilian food delivery market is thus a strategic move, rather than an impulsive decision. Unlike in 2018, when domestic platforms entered each other's markets in a bid for supremacy, Cheng Wei's current response feels more like a preemptive strike.

Didi's success in the food delivery business in Mexico and Colombia suggests that entering Brazil was part of its plan. However, the impending arrival of Keeta may have accelerated its decision.

▌2. A Multifaceted Competition

The competition between Meituan and Didi in the Brazilian market is multifaceted.

Firstly, the local food delivery giant iFood holds an 80% market share and successfully drove Didi's 99 Food out of Brazil in 2024. Even global giant Uber has struggled with its Eats business in Brazil.

In the past, Chinese local service markets have seen international giants enter and domestic companies emerge victorious, such as in the competition between Uber and Didi or Groupon and Meituan. This is not just due to domestic companies being more "competitive" but also because foreign giants often struggle to adapt to local conditions and cultural differences.

This time, the protagonists in the Brazilian battle are Chinese companies, but they are narrating their stories as "international giants." The competitive landscape has shifted as the identities of locals and foreigners are swapped.

Secondly, the key players in the competition between Meituan and Didi are also significant.

Qiu Guangyu, the head of Meituan's Keeta business, has extensive experience in both the overseas market and competition, having worked in investment banking before joining Didi in 2015 and participating in the competition with Uber and the acquisition of 99 Taxis.

Didi, too, is well-equipped with Zhu Jingshi, its Senior Vice President in charge of international business, who was also the one who recruited Qiu Guangyu to Didi.

Both sides know each other well, but the question remains: who will emerge victorious?

Thirdly, the Brazilian market presents unique challenges compared to the domestic market.

According to Neofeed, the first issue Meituan executives discussed upon arriving in Brazil was logistics and tax numbers. Brazil's tax system is vastly different from China's, and without resolving tax number issues, business operations are nearly impossible.

The logistics system in Brazil also poses challenges related to foreign investment, such as crowdsourcing, employment, and freelancing. These are issues Meituan has not encountered in China. For instance, Brazil's large immigrant population and strong trade unions may render Meituan's domestic strategies ineffective.

Recent reports of iFood delivery drivers going on strike could present an opportunity for Meituan and Didi to seize resources. However, it remains to be seen whether foreign companies can better address the issue of riders compared to iFood in the long run.

▌3. Will One Giant Fall?

Looking back at the Wuzhen dialogue between Zhang Yiming, Wang Xing, and Cheng Wei ten years ago and then examining the current internationalization landscape of their respective companies is fascinating.

ByteDance, Meituan, and Didi, as the most internationally-oriented companies after BAT, have gradually become "international giants" through their aggressive expansion efforts.

According to Tianyancha, both Didi and ByteDance were founded in 2012, while Meituan's food delivery service launched in 2013. Among Chinese companies going overseas, ByteDance has been the most successful, followed by TEMU, with Pinduoduo only starting its internationalization efforts in the second half of 2022.

Adding Huang Zheng to the dialogue between Zhang Yiming, Wang Xing, and Cheng Wei would be interesting as the four companies represent the three core business types of the internet: information, e-commerce, and local services.

While Meituan and Didi focus on food delivery and ride-hailing respectively, they both belong to the local service sector. The competition between them in 2018 was not unfounded, as ride-hailing and food delivery are often integrated in various regions.

For example, Uber launched its food delivery service as early as 2014 and officially introduced Uber Eats in 2016. Today, Uber is one of the world's largest food delivery platforms.

Similarly, the Southeast Asian ride-hailing company Grab has also received positive market feedback for its food delivery service, with ride-hailing and food delivery revenue accounting for half each in 2024.

In Mexico, Didi operates both ride-hailing and food delivery services. As the only platform in Mexico offering ride-hailing, food delivery, and financial services, Didi serves approximately 16 million monthly active users, has 500,000 active riders, and has partnered with 90,000 local restaurants.

Returning to the competition in the Brazilian market, the success of Didi's Mexican model has given it more confidence to block Meituan. Conversely, if Meituan gains a foothold in Brazil, it is uncertain whether it will once again venture into ride-hailing.

Will the battle between Meituan and Didi, which was left unfinished in the Chinese market, continue in Brazil and determine a definitive winner?

This raises the question: In Latin American regions like Brazil and Mexico, after full competition between food delivery and ride-hailing, does the market actually only need and can only accommodate one company? In other words, will either Meituan or Didi be eliminated?