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The United States Becomes Hong Kong’s Top Ginseng Supplier; Hong Kong Travel Agency Predicts Comeback of Travel Business; Finance Minister Confident in Hong Kong’s Economic Fundamentals; Hopes for Normalcy Drive Sales of Hong Kong Shops; Macau to Ditch ‘Gambling Hub’ Image in Next Decade; Macau’s GDP Dropped 33 Percent to $4.6 Billion in Third Quarter

Hong Kong is revising its residue limits for heavy metals and pesticides in Chinese herbal medicines in adherence with China’s Pharmacopoeia (2020 Edition). Effective December 31, 2023, ginseng products will be subject to revised limits on heavy metals. Stricter limits for DDT (pesticides) will be conducted in two phases starting December 31, 2026.

It has come to Post’s attention that a shipment of U.S. bovine genetics faced clearance problems in mainland China after Hong Kong Customs opened and inspected the shipment during transit. To minimize customs clearance issues in the future, U.S. exporters should be mindful that for any shipment transiting through a third-party, such as Hong Kong, shippers/forwarders should ensure that seals are handled properly in the case of inspection.

Ginseng Board of Wisconsin Retail Promotion; Hong Kong Eases Curbs on Inbound Travelers; Visitor Arrivals to Hong Kong Grow 22 Percent; Cathay Pacific to Reach 70 Percent of Pre-pandemic Capacity by Late 2023; Quarantine for Arrivals in Macau Adjusted to “5+3;” More Places to Go in Hong Kong for Group Travelers; Outdoor Live Music Festival Set to Comeback

Hong Kong’s relevant food regulation contains a positive list of chemicals which are allowed for use as coloring matter. However, this positive list does not explicitly list calcium carbonate as an allowable coloring additive for food use. In this regard, the U.S. food manufacturers, in consultation with Post, wrote to the Hong Kong government to seek clarification on whether calcium carbonate is allowed for use as a food coloring additive.

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.

Over the last five years, Hong Kong’s global imports of hops expanded 42 percent, growing 10 percent to $7.2 million in 2021. The United States continues as the leading supplier enjoying 96 percent market share. Hong Kong re-exported 72 percent of its hop imports to other markets in the region, retaining 28 percent for local breweries.

As of September 2022, Israel does not have a policy restricting the use of imported genetically engineered (GE) commodities or derivative products. There are no changes in Israel’s policy towards plant, animal biotechnology, and microbial biotechnology compared to 2021.

In 2021, U.S. seafood exports to Hong Kong recovered 31 percent year-on-year to $180 million, and taking over a significant share in niche market segments such as lobsters, eels, oysters, and other frozen mollusks products. Hong Kong has a vast seafood market with an import value of $4 billion in 2021, recovering 20 percent despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective February 1, 2023, Hong Kong will ban cannabidiol (CBD) products. The newly amended regulation will prohibit the manufacture, import, export, supply, sale, possession and transshipment of any products containing CBD in the city, regardless of quantity.

ATO Hosts First U.S. Industry Visit in Two Years; Three International Events Show Hong Kong is Open for Business; Consumer Prices Rise in September; Hong Kong Remains in a Recession; Business Expectations for the Fourth Quarter Improve; Thailand Launches and Promotes Thai Select; Hong Kong Further Relaxes Dining Rules...

The impact of the COVID-19 on the Israeli hotel, restaurant, and institutional (HRI) sector was nothing short of devastating. According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, accommodation and foodservice activities declined by forty percent in 2020. The sector started to recover during 2021, and it is expected to recover, with a return to pre-COVID-19 sales by 2023.