Tsingtao beer becomes official SCO beverage

Tsingtao beer became the official beer of choice of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) when the Tsingtao Brewery Corporation and the SCO signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Beijing on June 14.

Huang Kexing (left), president of Tsingtao Brewery, and Wang Kaiwen, deputy secretary general of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, sign a strategic cooperation agreement in Beijing on June 14. [Photo/ chinanews.com]

The SCO, founded in Shanghai in 2001, is an intergovernmental organization previously composed of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined the SCO as full members on June 9 in Astana, Kazakhstan. 

On the evening of June 14, Tsingtao beer was served at the reception held by the SCO at its Beijing headquarters to highlight the entry of its two newest members.

Tsingtao beer is highly praised by Rashid Alimov, secretary-general of the SCO. During his visit to Qingdao, Alimov hailed Tsingtao Beer not just as Qingdao's draw card but also as the calling card for China. Tsingtao beer is well known around the world. 

Tsingtao Brewery Co Ltd, one of the oldest beer makers in China, was founded in 1903 by German and British merchants under the name of the Tsingtao Branch of Nordic Brewery Co Ltd.

It is known to all that Tsingtao beer has a pleasant aroma and a well-balanced taste. Its high-malty flavor and well-hopped character make Tsingtao a refreshing complement to any Chinese meal.   

It is produced from a spring at Laoshan Mountain, an area famous throughout China for the purity of its water. Tsingtao's ingredients include the highest quality hops, as well as the finest yeast and barley imported from Australia and Canada.

Since its introduction, Tsingtao beer has enjoyed impressive sales growth and has always been the number one beer in China.

Tsingtao beer is sold in more than 100 countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macau. It is the top-selling Chinese beer in foreign markets.

Tsingtao Brewery now ranks among Fortune 500 companies. With a brand valued at more than 116.875 billion yuan ($17.2 billion), it leads China's beer industry according to the World Brand Lab.

The company was selected as an official sponsor of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Its beer has also been served at the banquets of important international conferences such as APEC, G20 and SCO meetings.