Beijing - US-based soft-drinks giant Coca-Cola Co said Wednesday that it had offered 2.4 billion dollars to buy China's Huiyuan Juice Group Ltd.

Coca-Cola said in a statement that it offered 12.20 Hong Kong dollars (1.56 US dollars) per share for Hong Kong-listed Huiyuan, or triple Huiyuan's last closing price of 4.14 Hong Kong dollars.

The takeover is subject to approval by Chinese regulators.

"Huiyuan is a long-established and successful juice brand in China and is highly complementary to the Coca-Cola China business," Coca-Cola president Muhtar Kent said in the statement.

Coca-Cola said it planned to use its experience, "distribution and raw material-purchasing capabilities" to develop the Huiyuan brand.

The statement said three major shareholders representing about two-thirds of Huiyuan shares had already given "irrevocable undertakings" for accepting Coca-Cola's offer.

In a separate statement Wednesday, the French food firm Danone SA said it had agreed to sell its 22.98-per-cent stake in Huiyuan to Coca-Cola.

Huiyuan brands accounted for 46 per cent of fruit juice sales in China in 2007, the official China Daily newspaper reported earlier this year.

The Chinese firm also exports to countries that include the United States and Japan, and last year, it won a 100-million-dollar contract to supply fruit juice for Wal-Mart's 3,000-plus US stores, the newspaper said.

Coca-Cola is the world's largest soft-drinks firm with more than 450 brands. Huiyuan is the biggest fruit and vegetable juice company in China. (dpa)