Navigating New Markets

Challenge

A global beverage company faced a series of distribution and regulatory hurdles in China. High tariffs and taxes, as well as customs, labeling, regulatory, intellectual property and distribution issues.

Solution

We engaged leading international companies operating in this sector in China, including US, European and Canadian companies, and Chinese business leaders, as well as senior American and Chinese government officials. Our strategy involved finding regulatory solutions that advanced China’s own economic development and good governance goals. Multilateral engagement through the World Trade Organization was essential in addressing tariff and non-tariff issues. We also organized an industry group to collaboratively address these and other challenges in a manner that would expand the overall market in China, and enhance health and product safety controls.

We engaged leading academics and think tanks to prepare economic analyses demonstrating the revenue and public policy benefits of taxation reform and initiated a longer-term intellectual property protection and anti-counterfeiting program.

Result

We successfully resolved key regulatory challenges resulting in market expansion of immediate benefit to the client and developed strategic partnerships of significant long-term value to the client’s market position in China.