SABMiller entered the China market when it acquired a 49% stake in CR Snow in 1994. Since then, the world's second-largest brewer has acquired Shenyang Snowflake Beer and Sichuan Blue Sword Beer. 

SABMiller goes head-to-head in China with its larger rival Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, which recently reduced its footprint in the country, selling its 19.9% stake in China's Tsingtao to Japan's Asahi Breweries for $667 million in cash. The deal helped reduce AB InBev's massive debt. And, as China.org reports, both companies face a host of smaller, domestic beer makers, many of which are merging to gain scale and better respond to rising commodity prices. - Suzanne Stevens