Spirits group calls for Chinese counterfeit crackdown
27th November 2007
A quarter of all spirits brands claiming to be of European origin now sold in China are counterfeit, according to an EU liquor association.
Jamie Fortescue, director general of the European Spirits Organisation, told BeverageDaily.com that the significant number of fake spirits sold in China pose a severe danger for the health of the country’s consumers as well as the industry’s profits.
The claims come as EU trade minister Peter Mandelson yesterday opened talks in China on protecting European intellectual property rights and on safety fears related to imports into the bloc.
