COCA-COLA has been voted the most popular soft drink in China in the country's first independent nationwide consumer survey.
The drink scored top marks in a survey that included 140 brands in nine product categories. Sprite, bottled by the same US giant, was the third most popular soft drink.
Other products well-received by consumers were National television sets, Lux soap, and the mainland brand Zhong Hua toothpaste.
The national market survey and evaluation on product competitiveness - based on more than 60,000 respondents from more than 30 provinces and cities - was conducted by the Chinese Entrepreneurs' Association, the Chinese Enterprises Information Exchange Centre, and the Chinese Enterprises Management Association.
Last year, Coca-Cola and Sprite were voted the most popular soft drinks in a separate survey by the National Statistics Bureau and the Centre for Social Evaluation of Commodities.
There are 13 Coca-Cola bottling plants in China. Construction will begin shortly on 10 more plants in inland cities, bring total investment in China to more than US$500 million by 1996.
