'Chinese Baijiu' granted as the official English term for Chinese distilled spirit: Chinese customs

Chinese customs have officially adopted "Chinese Baijiu," as the new terminology for the Chinese distilled spirit, for product labeling for exports, after repeated communication with the tax collection bureau of the Chinese customs authorities since China Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADA) formally submitted an application to the customs authorities on April 25, 2020, according to the association.

The official English name was applied in the 2021 Import and Export Tariff of the People's Republic of China implemented on January 1, media reports.

The news went viral online after its release and became one of the the top 10 topics at China's twitter-like social media platform Sina Weibo on Thursday, with many netizens applauding the change, saying the new name that attaches with the Chinese term, would be like Toufu and Jiaozi that reflects its own name in English language.

Chinese Baijiu, together with Brandy, Whisky, Vodka, Rum and Gin, ranks among the top six distilled spirits in the world, according to the CADA. But for years, Chinese Baijiu lacked an official, accurate English name, causing confusion among overseas consumers when referring to this type of spirit.

Liquor as the important part of Chinese culture has a production history of more than two thousand years. The spirit, adopts natural multi-strain solid-state fermentation and distillation, is completely different from the traditional concept of distilled spirits in the West.

Although accounting for one third of the world's total distilled spirits consumed due to China's huge consumer base, Chinese Baijiu lacked a formal English name and was often referred to Chinese spirits, Chinese distilled spirits and Chinese liquor.