Dairy Queen has opened its 500th store in China after a year of aggressive expansion there.

CEO John Gainor says China offers a tremendous opportunity to Dairy Queen because it has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

China has been the strongest international growth market for the company. Minneapolis-based Dairy Queen plans to open 100 more restaurants in China during 2012 after opening 131 stores there last year.

Gainor attended the grand opening of the 500th store in the Hu Dong district of Shanghai this week. The first Chinese Dairy Queen opened in Beijing in 1991.

Dairy Queen is owned by Warren Buffett's Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway Inc.