On September 9, 2014, the World Alcohol Beverage Alliance (WABA) was formed in Guiyang, China on the initiative of the China Alcohol Association, China Food and Animal Import and Export Chamber Commerce, Thai-China Friendship Association, and more than 300 alcohol industry related associations and organizations representing over 60 countries.
The Alliance is an international non-governmental, non-profit organization aimed at sharing industrial resources, economic resources, and cultural resources to ensure the growth and sustainability of the industry. Furthermore, the Alliance aims to protect, nurture and maintain the currently oenology culture to actively serve consumers and develop a healthy wine industry.
The purpose of the Alliance is to actively promote the development, growth, and sustainability of the global alcoholic beverage industry. In order to achieve this, WABA will build a common platform for sharing innovation, culture, and resources; jointly release financial indexes concerning the global alcohol industry publish authoritative and guiding documents; and create a large unifying database and data analytical model so as to support existing and emerging members of the alcohol industry.
Speaking about the foundation of WABA, the first rotating President and former Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia Dr. Ante Simonic said “to have WABA founded in Guizhou is just the first step on account of the leading role played by China in the formation of a new chapter. Chairman of China National Association for Liquor and Spirits Circulation Wang Xinguo said “WABA will be a significant platform to promote development, communication and cooperation of the global alcohol industry.”
In addition to being in charge of the China (Guizhou) International Alcoholic Beverages Expo Committee, WABA will provide guidance on the formulation and issuance of alcohol related industry policies, establish a system for training alcohol industry related qualified personnel, promote innovation in alcohol industry technology and work diligently on other related aspects of the alcohol industry. Furthermore, WABA aims to provide a forum for States and Members as well as international and other organizations for the exchange of views and experiences, and the promotion of co-operation and co-ordination of efforts on world alcoholic beverage issues, including studies on such issues in order to develop practical solutions.