So in 2002, A-B began buying local brands. In May it made a play for Harbin, which was part-owned by archrival Miller, triggering one of the first hostile-takeover battles in China. Beijing had set the stage when it recently made brewing one of the first sectors in China open to full foreign ownership. A-B won the bidding for Harbin when Miller bowed out last week, and now owns the brewer 100 percent. Next A-B plans to raise its stake in other local brews, including best seller Tsingtao, in its continuing quest to become the king of Chinese beers.
