“David has spent the past 20 years in Asia and has significant experience within the wine and spirits categories across North Asia,” Wine Australia chief executive officer Andreas Clark said.

“David has undertaken multiple roles for ASC Fine Wines, one of the largest importers and distributors of Australian wines in China, including vice president sales, and thus has a deep understanding of Chinese channel management.”

Prior to ASC Fine Wines, Mr Lucas spent many years at Bacardi and Allied Domecq developing spirits markets.

“With exports to Greater China now approaching $1 billion, it is essential that we strengthen the resources we have in the market to develop even bigger and deeper relationships,” Mr Clark said.

“Under the $50 million Package investment, we rolled Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan markets into the remit of our team in Shanghai.

“David’s channel management background across China and Asia will allow us to reinforce our ability to act as a key bridge between our wineries and brands and the market with all of its complexities, giving us a huge opportunity to continue our stunning growth.”

Willa Yang, who has managed the China team for many years, continues as head of market for China reporting to Mr Lucas.

(Source: Belinda Willis, The Advertiser, March 5, 2018)

Guangxi DBN Farming and Animal Husbandry Food Co., Ltd. Under DBN Group will invests CNY440 million for a project to farm 500,000 pigs ecologically in Wugang, Hunan Province, with five sow farms, 2 fattening farms, and related facilities.

(Source: www. eastmoney.com, 8 Feburary 2018)

Australian company SPC Ardmona has recently signed a strategic partnership contract with China State Farm Agriculture (CSFA) Holdings  Corporation in Shanghai, announcing its products including Goulburn Valley packaged fruits, SPC fruit cup and IXL jam are now entering officially China market. SPC products are now on Chinese e-commerce platform JD.com.

(Source: Austrade, January 2018)

New Hope Group plans to invest CNY3.2 billion to build a commercial pig-producing base in in Tongliao, Inner Mongolia, with a capacity of producing 2 million pigs annually. The production base will include a GGP farm with 3,000 heads GGP, a GP farm with 12,000 heads GP, a PS farm with 72,000 heads PS, and a nursing and fattening farm with 0.72 million heads pigs. It’s estimated to produce more than 2 million heads of qualified fattening pigs annually.

(Source: Boyar.cn)

In 22 January, Australia R&R Group acquired 100% Ekhidna Winery in McLaren Vale, South Australia. This acquisition includes Ekhidna winery and its 180 hectares vineyard, restaurant and cellar door. This acquisition will improve supply chain performance of the Group as well as being more responsive to increasing demand of wine in a global respective especially from China market.

Ekhidna winery is located in McLaren Vale in South Australia and many of its products have received score of 95 out of 100. Ekhidna winery was named after God Ekhidna Greece and also the same meaning of Ekhidna the anteater with excellent nose. So the winery has been promoting its products as excellent wine in Australia with outstanding flavor and quality.

(Source: Sohu News, 23 January 2018)

According to China-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement implemented in 2014, starting from this year, Swiss pork and by-products are allowed to directly export to China. Chinese government has already looked into 7 Swiss meat companies interested in exporting and a decision will be made soon by Chinese inspection authority followed by progress in registration. 

(News sourced from: www.feedtrade.com.cn; Picture sourced from Commonhealth TW)

Since 12th January 2018, Ministry of Agriculture of People’s Republic of China has stopped accepting the application for registered number of approval for Olaquindox, Arsanilic acid, Roxarsone, including related crude drug and drug product. After 1st May 2018, the production of these kinds of drug will be stopped in China, and the registered number of approval of related companies will be canceled. The product produced by 30th April 2018 can be circulated and used by 30th April 2019. After 1st May 2019, the operation and use of these drugs will be stopped in China.
(Minister of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China)

Chinese baijiu company Yanghe purchased 12.5% share of VSPT Wine Group, Chile, with USD 66 million. Yanghe has Sidus Wine under the company brand and VSPT wine group has been one of main suppliers for years.  (CNwinenews.com, 7 January, 2018)

Since 1st January 2018, based on China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, the fourth reduction of tariff has been implemented in China. The tariff has fallen to 2% for frozen abalone, while 2.8% for live, fresh and chilled types. For other aquatic product, it’s 2.4% for fresh and chilled tuna, 2.8% for oyster. For meat, it’s 7.2% for beef and 8.3% for sheep. For other product, it’s 2.8% for wine and 6.1% for orange

(Source: China Custom and Chinadevelopment.com.cn)

Fosun International has signed purchase agreement with Tsingtao beer recently, which agreed a purchase of 17.99% share of Tsingtao beer with RMB 5.6 billion. This will make Fosun International the second largest shareholder of Tsingtao beer.

Tsingtao beer is one the earliest brewery in China dated back to 1903. Tsingtao beer has over 60 breweries among 20 provinces in China (Source: TJKX, 22 December 2017).

Xinhua| 2017-12-21 00:43:49|Editor: ZD　

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the Central Economic Work Conference in Beijing, capital of China. The conference was held in Beijing from Dec. 18 to 20. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The world's second-largest economy is setting sail toward a new phase of development with Xi Jinping at the helm.

The Chinese economy will focus on quality, a shift from the rapid growth the country has been known for over the past decades since the reform and opening up policy was introduced. 

At the country's most important annual meeting on economic work, senior leaders said China's economy will be characterized by more innovative manufacturing, a more secure financial system, a more open and green economy, more affordable housing and better life for the people.

To achieve the goal, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialist Economy with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era will be the key, said a statement released after the Central Economic Work Conference concluded Wednesday.

The three-day conference was attended by President Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission. 

This year's Central Economic Work Conference came after the CPC's twice-a-decade national congress in October, which drew a blueprint for China's development over the next 30-plus years.

The conference, which reviewed China's economic performance over the past five years and mapped out plans for 2018, was special also because 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up policy, which has turned the country into the world's second-largest economy.

China's economy is firming, with its GDP expanding 6.9 percent year on year in the first three quarters, and 6.8 percent in the third quarter, the ninth straight quarter for China to see economic growth of at least 6.7 percent, all adding to evidence the economy is on a steady footing. 

The World Bank on Tuesday raised its forecast for China's economic growth in 2017 to 6.8 percent, up from the 6.7 percent it projected in October, citing stronger personal consumption and foreign trade. 

XI'S ECONOMIC THOUGHT TAKES SHAPE

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialist Economy with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has taken shape, said the statement.

The tone-setting meeting described the thought as the "theoretical crystallization" of the past five years of practice in pushing forward China's economic development, the "latest fruit" of socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics, and the "extremely precious spiritual wealth" of the CPC and the country.

The thought "must be adhered to for a long time and developed continuously," said the statement.

According to the statement, the thought is mainly based on the new development philosophy, which was put forward by Xi in 2015 and features innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development.

Under the thought, people are put first in development, while efforts are made to adapt to, manage and steer the "new normal." The market plays the decisive role and the government plays its role better, and supply-side structural reform constitutes the main line of economic work 

HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT

"At present and in the period to come, high-quality development is the fundamental requirement for determining the development path, making economic policies and conducting macroeconomic regulation," said the statement.

China must build and improve mechanisms for pushing forward high-quality development, including necessary indicators, policies, standards, statistical and performance assessment systems.

Realizing high-quality development is a must for sustaining healthy and stable economic development and adapting to changed principal contradiction of the Chinese society, it added.

China will continue to deepen the supply-side structural reform as one of the major tasks for realizing such development.

China will develop into a manufacturing powerhouse, with a shift from "Made in China" to "Created in China," the statement said, as the country is striving to evolve from a world factory that churns out low-end products. 

Measures to eliminate ineffective supply, foster new growth drivers and reduce costs in the real economy will continue.

The country will improve the long-term mechanisms to ensure stable and healthy development of the real estate market. Both home purchases and rentals will be encouraged.

THREE TOUGH BATTLES

The meeting also outlined strategies to win what central authorities have called "the three tough battles," namely preventing and defusing major risks, targeted poverty alleviation and tackling pollution.

China will maintain a hardline stance on irregular and illegal activities in the financial industry to forestall risks.

China's rapidly expanding financial industry is being placed under greater regulatory scrutiny as authorities step up efforts to curb widespread malfeasance in the sector to guard against risks 

To ensure stable economic growth while averting financial risks accumulated over years of credit binge, China has decided to maintain a prudent and neutral monetary policy in 2018.

"Prudent monetary policy should be kept neutral, the floodgates of monetary supply should be controlled, and credit and social financing should see reasonable growth," said the statement.

For the battle against poverty, policymakers pledged to work to ensure the quality of poverty reduction efforts under current standards, and focus on helping special groups and eradicating abject poverty.

Pollution control will also be a key battlefield, with authorities aiming for a significant reduction in major pollutant emissions and improvement in the overall environment. 

Efforts should be focused on adjusting the structures of industries, eliminating outdated capacity and making the skies blue again, according to the meeting. 

ALL-AROUND OPENING UP

As the major driver and stabilizer of the global economy, China will push forward a new pattern of all-around opening up to pursue mutual benefits with the rest of the world, according to the statement.

China will increase imports and cut import tariffs on some products to promote balanced trade, it said.

Free trade zone pilot areas will be expanded. Effective guidance and support will be given to outbound direct investment.

The country will also push for nationwide implementation of a pre-establishment national treatment system as well as a negative list that determines where foreign participation is prohibited or limited.

The negative list will become shorter and shorter, it said, adding that the country will improve laws and regulations on foreign investment and enhance protection of intellectual property rights.

 Chinese leaders have reiterated that the country will not close its door to the world, and that the door will only become more and more open.