Low tariffs help foreign wines pour in

China will continue to lower tariffs on imported alcoholic drinks next year. The moves are expected to bring challenges to Chinese alcohol producers.

According to the country's commitment to the World Trade Organization (WTO), import tariffs on foreign alcohol, except apple wine, pear wine, honey wine and other fermented drinks, will be reduced to somewhere between 10 and 30 per cent in 2005 from the original 65 per cent.

"The reduction of import tariffs will lower the threshold for foreign alcohol makers' entering the Chinese market," said Liu Yuan, secretary-general of the China Liquor Industry Association.

The tariff cut will put much pressure on China's wine producers, Liu …