---
title: "China to lower tariffs on whisky imports in boost to trade with UK"
description: "BEIJING, Jan 30 (Reuters) - China will lower tariffs on whisky imports to 5% from 10%, in a boost to Britain's whisky industry after the two countries' leaders met this week to repair fraught ties."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "World"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-30-china-to-lower-tariffs-on-whisky-imports-in-boost-to-trade-with-uk/"
published: "2026-01-30T13:27:16"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 142
---

# China to lower tariffs on whisky imports in boost to trade with UK

> BEIJING, Jan 30 (Reuters) - China will lower tariffs on whisky imports to 5% from 10%, in a boost to Britain's whisky industry after the two countries' leaders met this week to repair fraught ties.

By Reuters · Published 30 January 2026, 15:27 SAST

## Content

The lowering of tariff rate will take effect on February 2, according to a statement by China's State Council.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office, which [announced](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3YU21O&linkedFromStory=true) the deal on Thursday, said it would be worth £250 million ($344.13 million) to UK exporters over the next five years.

Scotch whisky tariffs were among the items discussed by Starmer and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday in Beijing, where the two [pledged](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3YV01V&linkedFromStory=true)greater cooperation in trade, investment and technology.

China imported $445.5 million worth of whisky in 2025, of which 84% was from the UK, according to customs data and Reuters calculations.

Beijing had in 2017 set a 5% provisional tariff rate on whisky imports, but removed the provision for 2025, in effect hiking the rate to 10%.

(Reporting by Ethan Wang, Yukun Zhang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, William Maclean)