A-B and SABMiller: Partners?

In a curious development over the weekend, BBD has learned that Anheuser-Busch has made another big play in China, the largest beer market in the world although not even close to the U.S. in terms of profit pool. A-B has purchased a 29% take in the Northeastern brewer, Harbin Brewery Group, for $139 million. Harbin's main brand is called, appropriately enough, Hapi.The fact that A-B has made a significant investment in a leading brewer in a fast-growing emerging market is