Starbucks Corp is increasing its bet on the consumer’s taste for good coffee in China, despite jitters around the globe over the slowing down of the China economy and turmoil in the market.

Howard Schultz the CEO said that he was bullish on the most populous country in the world and that the coffee giant based in Seattle, Washington, which already has 2,000 stores across 100 cities in China, will open 500 more each year for the next five years.

Schultz said that the coffee house has confidence in the economy in China but people are trying to find reasons not to believe.

Starbucks has grown on a continuing basis in China even as the sales have languished for some other foreign food and beverages businesses such as the KFC and Pizza Hut franchises owner Yum Brands and Hershey the chocolate maker.

Starbucks posted earnings for its fourth quarter that were the best last year, but some sales growth at same stores in the Asia Pacific and China region at 6% trailed a global rise of 8% and missed estimates by analysts of 9%.

Companies have come to rely on the middle-class and wealth customers for their expansion but as the economy slows in China, so will the growth of customer pools, say economists in the region.

Starbucks does not break out sales for China. Revenue for the fourth quarter for the China and Asia region was more than double from the prior year to just over $652.2 million.

Schultz said he expects that China will become the largest market for Starbucks, though he did not give any time frame in which he believes that will happen.

In China, where tea is drunk by all, the coffee culture has just exploded onto the scene the past few years, especially in cities where customers pay close to $5 per cup.

The potential untapped market is still huge at an estimated 4.5 billion cups annually.

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