Browse Data and Analysis

The USDA Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) Hong Kong has partnered with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) to offer U.S. wine and distilled spirits companies and their local representatives special pricing on exhibition space as part of a USA Pavilion at the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair from November 6 to 8, 2025.

This report highlights the harmonization of specific liquor taxes on alcoholic beverages that took effect on Oct.1st, 2024. U.S. exports of these products are not directly affected, but exporters should be aware of these changes.

The Hong Kong market has developed into a dynamic wine export destination since the abolishment of wine tariffs in 2008. The slow recovery of the global economy dampened the city’s global imports of wine in 2023.

In 2019, the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) entered into force. As a result, Japan approved 16 new wine additives that were previously not allowed in wine produced or consumed in Japan.

The U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement (USJTA) entered Year 5 of the agreement implementation on April 1, 2023.

The U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement (USJTA) entered Year 5 of the agreement implementation on April 1, 2023.

This report highlights trends and recent statistics for U.S. origin wine imported into Japan, consumption trends, and opportunities for U.S. exporters.

On April 21, Japan's National Tax Agency opened a public comment period for the Guidelines for Handling Alcoholic Beverages with Organisms Developed with Genome Editing Technology. The public comment period will close on May 25, 2023.

In 2022, Hong Kong was the world’s tenth largest spirits importer, with global imports recovering 7 percent year-on-year and valued at $502 million. From 2020-2021, Hong Kong’s imports and domestic sales of spirits were seriously hampered under the COVID-19 pandemic, as most restaurants, pubs, and bars were closed due to stringent dining, social distancing, and travel restrictions.

Hong Kong is an open market offering good opportunities for U.S. beer exporters. Over the last two years, both beer imports and domestic sales have been stable despite the pandemic. In 2021, Hong Kong’s global beer imports held steady from the previous year at $115 million, making the city the fourteenth largest beer import market in the world. Domestic beer sales recovered 9 percent from 2020 at $732 million.