in 2024, the pattern of China's black tea industry has undergone significant changes. According to data from Jiang Yongwen, Deputy Director of the Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China's black tea imports reached 41,900 tons, while exports were only 24,800 tons, officially making it a net importer of black tea. Behind this shift is the surge in demand driven by the booming new tea beverage market. Academician Liu Zhonghua of the Chinese Academy of Engineering pointed out that black tea is the core raw material for new tea beverages, and more than 40,000 tons of black tea imported last year were mainly used in milk tea and tea bag production.

Despite the prominent challenges, domestic black tea still has room to break through. In 2023, China's black tea output reached 370,000 tons, an increase of 7.1 times compared with 2005. Traditional brands such as Chuanhong and Qihong continue to make efforts. As the core producing area of Chuanhong black tea, Yibin produced 17,300 tons of Chuanhong Gongfu in 2024, with a comprehensive output value exceeding 3 billion yuan. Its new product "Yangtze River Red" has even broken through the traditional shelf life. Liu Zhonghua suggested that relying on mechanized picking and digital processing to improve the utilization rate of summer and autumn tea can effectively fill the gap for imported substitutes and help domestic black tea take the initiative in the new tea beverage track.