as seen with the sale of Ming River Baijiu in US and EU markets from late 2010s, a strong-aroma (nongxiang) type baijiu sourced from the Luzhou Laojiao distillery. International production In 2019, Australian sorghum exported to China accounted for approximately 78.3 percent of Australia's total sorghum export market, which was valued at 29.9 million U.S. dollars. Exports of Australian sorghum to China are largely driven by demand for baijiu manufacture. Classification By aroma profile Throughout the evolutionary history of baijiu, numerous regional variations in alcohol production technique across the country have been incorporated into baijiu making. The practice of infusing alcohol with herbs, spices, fruits and other ingredients has its roots in traditional Chinese medicine, but is also done purely for flavor. The practice of infusing spirits is a common practice. Baijiu has a distinctive smell and taste that is highly valued in Chinese culinary culture, and connoisseurs focus especially on its fragrance. This classification system began in 1952 and was updated in August 1979 at the third nationwide baijiu competition held in Dalian. Even so, during the competition, experts rated various baijiu based on their taste rather than aroma. There are 4 major categories of baijiu based on aroma profile: Qingxiang (清香, qīngxiāng; light aroma, "Q-" s pronounced akin to "Ch-"): Delicate, dry, and light, with a smooth and light mouthfeel. The flavors of this distilled liquor is contributed primarily by ethyl acetate and ethyl lactate, and give the spirit a taste of dried fruit with floral notes. It is made from sorghum fermented in a stone vessel with qu made from wheat, barley and peas. The two primary styles of this liquor are Fenjiu (汾酒, fénjiǔ) from Shanxi and Erguotou (二锅头, èrguōtóu) from Beijing, the latter of which is known as Kaoliang (高粱, gāoliáng, lit. 'sorghum') in Taiwan. Formerly this style was called Fenxiang "Fen-aroma" (汾香, fēnxiāng) after the Xinghuacun-Fenjiu () Distillery. Mixiang (米香, mǐxiāng; rice aroma): This class of liquor is exemplified by baijiu distilled from rice, such as Sanhuajiu (三花酒) from Guilin, Guangxi province. This fragrance has long history and is made using rice-based Rhizopus spp.-type Qu starters (小曲, xiǎoqū, lit. 'little qu). It has a clean sensation and a slight aroma, dominated by ethyl lactate with lesser flavor contributions by ethyl acetate. Nongxiang (濃香, nóngxiāng; strong aroma): A class of distilled liquor that is sweet tasting and mellow, with a gentle lasting fragrance contributed by