A monopoly in the world’s largest cigarette market is no longer enough for China National Tobacco.
The combination of a slowing domestic economy, and efforts by health officials to curb smoking in a country where more than a quarter of the adult population are regular users means the company is now taking aim at western rivals in global markets.
China exported cigarettes worth $722m last year, according to customs data, an increase on $248m a decade ago, with the majority heading to developing countries in Asia. The global push has the support of the government in Beijing, which has called for China Tobacco’s global competitiveness to be “comprehensively” enhanced.