The 2nd China (Guizhou) International Alcoholic Beverage Expo has been gradually showcasing its platform for industrial internationalization with roughly 500 alcohol enterprises and over 600 participants attending.

“If we want to promote Guizhou alcohol to a higher level, the first bottleneck we need to break is our preconceived notions. A broader vision is required to set up an international platform,” said Zhao Keqiang, governor of Guizhou province.

And now, Guizhou is succeeding in doing just that. The establishment of the 2nd China (Guizhou) International Alcoholic Beverage Expo is turning out to be a key to opening up the market of the alcohol industry.

“There were over 800 enterprises from home and abroad. Tens of thousands of purchasers attended the trade fair, ” said Meng Qiliang, vice governor of Guizhou province.

At the 2011 fair, 1670 trade contracts were signed, worth over 40 billion yuan. 148 investment projects were concluded, worth 100 billion yuan.

There is no doubt that the number will be bigger in 2012. As of August 3, 445 overseas enterprises have promised to set up exposition booths, 97 from France, 84 from Spain, 49 from Italy, 26 from Australia and 20 from Germany. What’s more, there is no lack of famous brands, such as Hennessy XO, Remy Martin XO, LAFITE, Latour wine, Heineken and Carlsberg, all among the world’s top 10.

Guizhou has also spared no effort in enhancing project matchmaking with the emphasis on deep-processing and high-tech ones. As of now, 926 projects will be introduced to attract investment.

“With world-class exposition coverage and scale, Guizhou has the confidence and capability to make the China (Guizhou) International Alcoholic Beverage Expo into a platform for exchange and investment between alcohol dealers and investors,” said Jiang Zengwei, vice director of the Department of Commerce.

Maotai, one of the best-known liquors in China, provides a hugh potential for Guizhou to develop a sustainable and green industry, Baijiu (white liquor), being both ecological and beneficial.

That explains why Guizhou has planned to allocate hundreds of billions of renminbi to the industry. Guizhou has reportedly said that it aims to build Moutai into the best distilled liquor in the world, Moutai town into China’s alcohol center and Huairen city into China’s alcohol capital over the next five to ten years.

According to Yuan Renguo, chairman of Kweichow Moutai, Moutai Group will take four strategic measures – working out its development strategy, setting up an international image, assembling talents and exploring markets - to cope with current bottlenecks and make a perfect breakthrough into becoming an international brand.

Besides Moutai, other Baijiu brands are also considering an internationalization strategy.