Recently, a large quantity of counterfeit military special supply liquor bottles with labels such as “Military Maotai” was discovered in Yantai, Shandong, which is known for being a hub for privileged members within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to access luxury goods. The production of fake goods has found a lucrative market due to the demand for such items among the elite. The cost to produce one of these bottles is only a few yuan, but they are being sold for thousands of yuan each.
The local police in Shandong uncovered six locations hidden in a remote mountainous village where counterfeit military liquor was being produced and sold. They arrested seven suspects and seized over a thousand bottles of the illicit “special supply liquor.”
According to reports from mainland Chinese media, the production sites for these fake liquors were found in filthy and disorderly conditions, with numerous bottles and packaging materials bearing labels such as “81” military emblem, “Central Guard Bureau Reception Liquor,” “Central Military Commission Office Procurement Liquor,” and “Military Maotai”.
The “special supply liquors” manufactured here are of inferior quality, made by mixing alcohol essence with coloring agents. The actual cost of the liquor in each bottle is only around 3 yuan, but with packaging, the total cost per bottle ranges from a few yuan to tens of yuan, while they are being sold for hundreds to thousands of yuan each.
The CCP occasionally announces crackdowns on counterfeit “special supply liquor.”
On June 8, 2023, the CCTV military WeChat public account reported that products labeled as “Military Maotai” and “Special Supply for the Troops” were found in Ningxia. Authorities found and sealed off over 600 items and more than 3,500 bottles of suspected “military” branded liquor, with an estimated total value reaching hundreds of thousands of yuan. The company involved was fined 30,000 yuan and had their “Unbranded Military Liquor” confiscated, along with being ordered to make immediate corrections.
On June 10 of this year, the People’s Daily Online reported that the Ministry of Public Security across the country has seized over 318,000 bottles of illegal “special supply liquor” produced and sold under the names of party and government agencies, as well as the military. They dismantled 48 cross-regional criminal organizations involved in counterfeiting and arrested 417 suspects, with the total amount involved reaching 890 million yuan.
A former entrepreneur from Shenzhen, Wang Yingguo, revealed to a media outlet that the CCP seldom genuinely puts effort into combating illegal special supplies, much like their supposed efforts to crack down on illegal land occupation and mining. The enforcement actions are mainly aimed at imposing fines on a group of individuals to generate revenue for those in power, as the primary focus is on revenue generation rather than legality.
Lawyer Yang Sheng (pseudonym) from mainland China shared with the media that most Maotai liquors available on the market are indeed fake. Authentic Maotai liquors are typically directly acquired by the military through official channels, and although they are used for receptions at embassies and provincial government events, the labels usually do not bear the “special supply” designation. Those labeled as “special supply” are often borderline counterfeit products.
Privileged members within the CCP have historically enjoyed access to “special supply” goods, with Maotai liquor serving as a symbol of corruption in official circles. It is distributed to various military regions, units, and government agencies as a “special supply liquor,” often used for gifting and bribery in official circles. Reportedly, 60% of Maotai liquor sales each year are designated for government and military consumption.
In 2005, the CCP military commissioned “War Reserve Maotai,” packaged in military canteens. The procurement of Maotai liquor was overseen by the General Logistics Department responsible for managing funds and procurement within the military.
In recent years, many CCP officials have fallen from grace due to their involvement with Maotai liquor. For instance, during the raid on the lavish residence of Gou Junshan, former Deputy Minister of the CCP General Logistics Department, authorities seized 1,300 Maotai items (each item equating to 6 or 12 bottles), valued at around 15.6 million yuan.
Even the CCP leader, Xi Jinping, is known to have an affinity for Maotai liquor.
In a report by the “Maotai Liquor News” on June 30, 2005, Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, hosted a banquet at the West Lake State Guesthouse for Maotai Group Chairman Ji Keliang, Maotai Liquor Co., Ltd. Chairman Yuan Renguo, and others. Xi Jinping expressed his love for Maotai liquor, and Secretary Li Qiang jokingly remarked that Xi’s good health was attributed to his long-term consumption of Maotai liquor.
In recent years, Maotai liquor has also served as a medium for interactions between the CCP and its fraternal parties. On March 26, 2018, during a banquet held for visiting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, internet users noted from photographs that the waitstaff were holding two bottles of “Limited Edition Maotai Liquor,” a rare variety that is classified as a special supply liquor. At that time, the online retail price for one bottle was as high as 1.28 million yuan.