On June 13, 2026, according to the Epoch Times, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) once again exposed a case of counterfeit “specially supplied alcohol,” arresting 40 individuals and penalizing 7 e-commerce platforms. The investigation revealed that the cost of producing one bottle of the so-called “specially supplied alcohol” was approximately 2 yuan (Chinese Yuan, hereinafter) for the raw materials, with a box of 6 bottles costing less than 14 yuan, yet selling online for 499 yuan. Analysts believe that the continuous emergence of fake specially supplied alcohol stems from the existence of the CCP’s special supply system. Earlier, insiders disclosed that the CCP’s anti-counterfeiting actions are akin to a “shearing the leeks” financial exploitation.
The State Council Food Safety Commission Office of the CCP announced the exposure of a large-scale counterfeit “specially supplied alcohol” case, unveiling white alcohols such as “Beijing No. 1” and “Preparation” adorned with “party-government-military” elements like steel “bullet boxes.” The involved parties set up shell companies, conducted live broadcasts online spanning across regions, platforms, and accounts, subtly implying the “specially supplied” attribute during the live streams using persuasive language like “this name can’t be mentioned” and “drunk by people with little stars on their shoulders” to lure consumers.
Official investigations revealed that the supposedly fragrant “specially supplied alcohol” lacked any fermentation process for grains and had no aging period for the alcohol, instead being a simple blend of edible alcohol with essence, water, and other ingredients. With a raw material cost of around 2 yuan per bottle and a total cost of only 60 yuan per box mainly spent on packaging, it was being sold at a “special price” of 499 yuan during the live broadcasts.
Authorities discovered a total of 75,200 cases of counterfeit alcohol in this operation, leading to the arrest of 40 suspects. 61 online stores suspected of selling counterfeit alcohol and 78 live streaming rooms suspected of using marketing tactics to deceive consumers were also identified. 7 e-commerce platforms will face penalties for their inadequate supervision.
According to state media reports, as early as 2013, the CCP had officially banned products labeled as “special supply” or “dedicated supply.” However, the issue of “specially supplied alcohol” and “dedicated supply alcohol” seems to persist. Officials claim that specially supplied alcohol has transformed into a lucrative business of bottling and blending low-quality white alcohol, with periodic crackdown operations announced intermittently.
On June 10, 2024, the CCP Ministry of Public Security previously announced a nationwide crackdown on the production and sale of illegal “specially supplied” and “dedicated supply” alcohol, resulting in the seizure of over 318,000 illegal bottles within three months, dismantling 48 cross-regional professional counterfeiting and selling criminal groups, arresting 417 suspects, with the involved amount reaching 890 million yuan.
Commentator Li Lin commented that the recurrent issue of fake specially supplied alcohol in China originates from the existence of the CCP’s special supply system.
Former entrepreneur Wang Yingguo from Shenzhen previously informed the Epoch Times that the Communist Party’s single-party rule itself forms a special supply system, with various central departments having their own “reserves.” He mentioned obtaining a considerable amount of such specially supplied alcohol annually in China in the past, like the “South China Sea” specially supplied alcohol found within the military. He believes that the CCP’s claim to crack down on illegal specially supplied alcohol is essentially a pretext to collect money.
Wang Yingguo stated that in reality, the CCP never truly puts in significant efforts to combat illegal specially supplied alcohol, similar to its actions against illegal land occupation and mining, ultimately providing a means for officials at all levels to generate revenue through law enforcement actions, essentially profiting from penalties imposed on those below them.
Maotai liquor had once been seen as a symbol of corruption in the CCP officialdom, becoming the “specially supplied alcohol” for various military regions, military systems, and government agencies, commonly utilized for gifting and bribery in recent years. Reports indicate that Maotai liquor supplied to the government and military annually accounts for 60% of its total sales.
Mainland lawyer Yang Sheng (pseudonym) told the Epoch Times that the majority of Maotai liquors on the market are indeed counterfeit because genuine Maotai liquor is directly obtained by the military from the company. While some embassies and provincial-level government entities do have specially supplied alcohol, bottles labeled as “dedicated supply” or “specially supplied” are mostly skirting the rules.