Local brewers association alleges unfair practices behind fast-growing Chinese imports

Taiwan’s finance ministry announced that it plans to launch an anti-dumping investigation into low-priced Chinese beer imports, following a formal application from the Taiwan Brewers Association.

The probe aims to address the association’s concerns over unfair trade practices and the increasing local market dominance held by Chinese brewers.

The Taiwan Brewers Association was established in 2024 and includes major breweries such as Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp. (TTL), Heineken Taiwan, Taihu Brewing, Zhangmen Brewery, and King Car Group.

The association’s advocacy for government action to protect local brewers from the growing competition posed by allegedly subsidised Chinese imports, has not fallen on deaf ears. Taiwan’s finance minister Chuang Tsui-yun confirmed on 2 January that the ministry would begin the inquiry within 30 days of receiving the association’s application.

During this period, an interagency tariff commission will be convened to investigate the matter, and the review is expected to take eight months to a year to complete, according to customs administration officials.

Chinese beer imports have gained significant popularity in Taiwan, increasing their market share from 8% in 2015 to 34% in recent years. The Brewers Association has expressed concern that low-cost imports are undermining local brewers and eroding the domestic market’s competitiveness.

Moreover, the powerful state-owned TTL, one of the association’s founding members and the producer of Taiwan Beer, the most popular local brew, has been banned from sales in mainland China since December 2022. Prior to the ban, China accounted for 18% of Taiwan Beer’s export sales.