SHANGHAI, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) – With its expanding market, China's liquor industry has become an essential drive for boosting economic growth in some Chinese cities.
Photo: Thematic forum at the 14th China International Alcoholic Drinks Expo
Suqian, a city in east China's Jiangsu Province, realized 7.3 percent GDP growth in the first quarter of this year, nearly one percentage point higher than the national GDP growth. Yanghe, a major Chinese liquor company in the city, has contributed to the city's higher economic growth, said Wang Hao, Mayor of Suqian city, at a forum of the ongoing 14th China International Alcoholic Drinks Expo on Friday.
In southwest China's Sichuan, where many Chinese famous liquor brands are located, the liquor industry has also become an important economic driver for its local economy.
Wuliangye, a top Chinese liquor brand, is estimated to achieve more than 100 billion yuan of business revenue this year, said Wang Liping, Deputy Mayor of Yibin city where the liquor company is located, at the forum.
With the liquor industry expanding, the economic outlook for Yibin, a city in Sichuan, is also on the positive side, and people in Yibin also have high satisfaction in the local economy, said Wang Liping.
Sichuan's Luzhou is also encouraging the development of the liquor industry in the city, aiming to build quality liquor brands and foster a liquor industry chain in the city, according to Ju Li, Deputy Party Secretary of the city.
In Bozhou city of east China's Anhui's Province, liquor companies contributed 12 percent to the city's industrial output value and 16 percent to its total tax revenues by the end of 2018, while the number of the liquor companies only accounted for five percent of the city's entire industrial companies, according to Bozhou's Deputy Mayor Zheng Chao.
Bozhou will boost the cooperation between the liquor industry and the Chinese medicine industry in the future to make new health care liquor products, in a bid to foster the integration of its competitive industries, Zheng said at the forum.
Yu Liujiang, Deputy Mayor of Shaoxing city in east China's Zhejiang Province, reveals that the city plans to hold such events as Shaoxing Week and Yellow Wine Expo in the future, to expand the influence of Shaoxing's local yellow wine products.
First held in 2006, the three-day International Alcoholic Drinks Expo attracted more than 3,000 liquor companies, with products ranging from Chinese liquor, wine, beer, brandy, to whiskey. (Contributed by Li Anran, Hu Jiefei, edited by Jiang Yujuan, jiangyj@xinhua.org, Jiang Feifan)
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