TSINGTAO Brewery Co, China's second-largest brewer by volume, said yesterday its profit for the first half of the year climbed an annual 29.74 percent as sales of its high-end beers surged.

Net profit totaled 830 million yuan (US$122 million) in the first six months as sales rose 9.3 percent to 9.81 billion yuan.

The brewer attributed the profit growth to strong demand for its high-end beers whose sales climbed 26.7 percent from January to June.