China remains the world’s largest and most misunderstood beer market, particularly for American craft brewers evaluating export opportunities. Drawing on more than fifteen years of operating a brewery and hospitality group in China, this session explains how the market actually functions, covering the structure of the Chinese beer market, current trends, consumer behavior, pricing realities, distribution constraints, regulatory friction, and how to avoid failure. The focus is on identifying when exporting to China makes commercial sense, when it does not, what alternatives exist, and the practical pathways available to American brewers willing to approach the market with realistic expectations and disciplined execution.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how China’s beer market is structured, including key trends, consumer behavior, and why it differs fundamentally from the U.S. market
• Learn the true unit economics of exporting beer to China, including pricing pressure, tax and logistics impacts, and margin realities across the value chain
• Identify the most common regulatory, distribution, and execution failures that cause export strategies to break down, and how to avoid them
• Evaluate when exporting to China makes commercial sense, when it does not, and what alternative pathways exist, including local production and targeted market entry strategies
• Develop a practical framework for deciding whether China should be part of your brewery’s growth strategy, based on realistic expectations and disciplined execution