THE chief executive of Pernod Ricard, owner of Paisley-based Chivas Brothers, has signalled its commitment to building its Scotch whisky business in spite of recent headwinds in China.

Pierre Pringuet was speaking as the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) announced he would replace Edrington chief executive Ian Curle as its chairman on January 1.

Mr Curle, who is stepping down at the end of his agreed three-year tenure, will remain on the SWA's governing council.

Mr Pringuet will be replaced as vice-chairman by William Grant & Sons director Peter Gordon.

The changes come as the SWA said it was selling its headquarters in Edinburgh's Atholl Crescent and moving to more modern premises next year. It also revealed it was opening a small permanent office in London as it seeks to maximise its lobbying impact at Westminster.

Mr Pringuet, who has been sole chief executive of Pernod since 2008, takes the chairman's role at a challenging time for Scotch in international markets. Figures for the first six months of the year show that exports were down 11 per cent at £1.77 billion on the same period in 2013, amid continuing, weaker demand in China.

The slowdown in the Far East has been felt at Pernod Ricard, which acknowledged that China remained a "difficult market" when reporting a nine per cent sales fall in the country between June and September.

Remy Cointreau and Diageo have also experienced problems in China, which has been sparked in part by austerity measures and a crack down on corporate gift-giving. Diageo, the industry's biggest Scotch producer, has revised the timetable for its £1 billion, five-year expansion plan in light of weakening overseas demand.

Mr Pringuet said: "There is clearly a downturn in the market which affects all spirits, which means Scotch whisky and Cognac. But we're very optimistic for the medium term, keeping in mind the economy is still growing and the urban middle class are still growing as well. There is a strong appetite for branded products and Scotch whisky is one of the key categories."

Asked if the slowdown in China would affect Pernod's expansion plans, Mr Pringuet insisted the distiller remains "really committed to the future of Scotch whisky".

He said: "It's the largest segment in our range of products, it's the largest portion of our sales globally and we keep on investing to expand capacities, in particular for single malt."

Asked whether the industry can take any steps to improve its prospects in China, Mr Pringuet added: "China globally is quite an open market - there is no real discrimination in terms of duties or non-tariff barriers. It's really a question of marketing and investing behind the brands.

One market the industry is keen to penetrate further is India, where import and excise duties can exceed 300 per cent.

Mr Pringuet hopes "spirits liberalisation" will be high on the agenda in forthcoming trade talks between India and the European Union. But he said: "I would be cautious to make any predictions for when and how it will be solved."

Closer to home, Mr Pringuet said the SWA would be campaigning for a reduction in UK spirits duty ahead of the Budget in March. He said: "Last year we had good news in the sense that, after years of accelerated increases in duty, we got the removal of the so-called escalator, which was an extra increase on top of inflation. So last year we got the duty frozen, which was good news.

"But still the UK is one of the most expensive markets in terms of taxation for spirits. A two per cent cut would be welcome."

Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes and the company's global policy and public affairs manager Richard Burn have joined the SWA council. JulieHesketh-Laird, the SWA's director of operational and technical affairs, has been appointed deputy chief executive and will carry out both roles.