Baijiu helps lift Diageo's spirits in China

British drink giant Diageo Plc's baijiu brand Shui Jing Fang drove the company's growth in China as it is expected to cut market spending on deluxe Scotch in the country.

According to its interim results for the year ended Dec 31, its net sales in China increased 4 percent. The performance of Shui Jing Fang continued to improve with net sales up 81 percent.

Its marketing spending was down 2 percent as a result of reduced spending on Johnnie Walker Black Label and Blue Label in China.