The Grape Wall Press
A Regularly Updated Roundup of China Wine Stories
MAY 2024 EDITION
(Past Editions Here)
French court confiscates Bordeaux wine chateaux from Chinese magnate
RFI (Radio France Internationale)
“A French court ruled to confiscate nine Bordeaux wine country chateaux acquired by a Chinese tycoon convicted of laundering Chinese government funds.
‘The sentenced 63-year-old Naijie Qu is a wealthy businessman, Bordeaux wine enthusiasist and head of Haichang Group, a trading and shipping conglomerate with interests in property, tourism and agriculture based in the northeastern Chinese port city of Dalian.
“Haichang was one of the most ambitious investors in a Chinese buying spree of France’s most famous wine-growing regions in the early 2010s.”
China’s duty clear on Australian wine will hurt Bordeaux sales, producers say
Reuters: Sybille de La Hamaide & Chizu Nomiyama
“French Bordeaux wine exporters, who supply 9% of China’s total wine and spirits imports, expect a rapid fall in exports after China’s decision on Thursday to lift import tariffs on Australian wine.
“France is China’s first wine supplier and China is Bordeaux wine’s largest export market in volume.
“‘Such trade agreements have a nearly immediate impact on our exports,’ CIVB spokeswoman Sara Briot-Lesage said.”
Australian wine pours back into China as tariff-free shipments surge to over US$10 million in April
Yahoo / South China Morning Post:
‘China imported US$10.4 million of wine from Australia in April, up from US$126,045 a year earlier, representing a roughly eightyfold increase, according to Chinese customs data. Imports by volume, meanwhile, increased more than sevenfold year on year to 462,518 litres (813,918 pints).
‘As a result, Australia’s share of China’s wine imports rose from 1.45 per cent in March to 10.52 per cent last month, making it the third largest wine supplier after France and Chile.’
China has sufficient tools to deal with EU’s incessant anti-subsidy probes: social media influencer
“Facing incessant anti-subsidy probes against Chinese companies, China actually has sufficient countermeasures, and, if Europe stubbornly continues to take action, China may have to take a series of measures to hit back, Yuyuan Tantian, a social media influencer affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV said in a penned article on Saturday.
“Shen Qian, a lawyer familiar with trade and commerce issues, told Tanyuan Tantian said that the EU is highly dependent on the Chinese market for exports including wine and dairy, and the EU offered huge subsidy to its agriculture industry.”
Shenzhen Based Startup Disrupts Robotics Industry With Its Latest Invention
“Shenzhen-based tech startup Stardust Intelligence has disrupted the robotics industry with its latest creation: Astribot S1….
“Stardust Intelligence asserts that Astribot S1 epitomizes the pinnacle of artificial intelligence, achieving human-like performance with maximum speed and precision. In a promotional video, the robot showcases its capabilities by effortlessly sorting items, ironing clothes, and even delicately maneuvering fragile wine glasses without a single one toppling over.”
A month on, Chinese buyers still cautious after wine tariffs dropped
Sydney Morning Herald: Sumeyya Ilanbey
“When the Chinese government finally lifted crippling tariffs on Australian wine four weeks ago, the Rathbone Wine Group still had containers of bottles that had been sitting on the wharfs for months, waiting to be cleared by customs.
“The end of the tariffs – which were as high as 220 per cent for the past three years – also terminated the burdensome red tape for the handful of Australian winemakers who were exporting small quantities to China, and Rathbone’s premium wines soon after made it onto the Asian mainland.”
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