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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.

On September 29, 2021, the General Directorate of Internal Tax (DGII) of the Dominican Republic (DR) issued Regulation 07-21 implementing the Fiscal Control and Traceability System for Alcoholic Beverages and Cigars (TRAFICO) to tackle illicit trade and tax evasion in the alcoholic beverage and cigarette sectors.

Baltic States’ wine consumption has steadily increased in recent years due to higher disposable incomes, easier access to higher quality products, and evolving consumer trends. Since the Baltic States are European Union (EU) Member States, Baltic wine importers and distributors enjoy relatively easy access to wines available within the common market, including many U.S. wines which generally enter the EU through Western European ports of entry or Lithuania.

The United States is among the top five suppliers of distilled spirits to the Philippines, supplying mostly whiskey. Philippine importation of U.S. distilled spirits in 2021 dropped to $4.6 million, 42 percent lower than the pre-pandemic level.

For the past two decades, the United States has been the leading supplier of wines to the Philippines. In 2021, U.S. wine exports to the Philippines soared to a record $20 million (3.8 million liters at an average cost of $5.20 per liter) as consumers temporarily traded up to more expensive wines during the coronavirus lockdown.

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.

On October 20, 2022, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a clarification on certain provisions to the 2018 Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulation.

Taiwan is the seventh-largest market for U.S. agricultural exports. Taiwan has vibrant urban communities and a highly developed e-commerce industry that provides convenience for customers, all which support Taiwan’s continued demand for safe and high-quality food products. In addition, evolving consumption trends suggest customers are increasingly looking for western-style food options that cannot be locally sourced. Since domestic food production alone cannot match increased food demand, agricultural imports will continue to play an important role in Taiwan’s retail food economy. While trade barriers exist and competition intensifies, opportunities to increase U.S. agricultural exports remain promising.

U.S. exporters can find ample opportunities in the Iberian Peninsula. Spain is the third-largest European Union (EU) destination for U.S. agricultural products, with Portugal ranking 11th. In 2021, the United States exported $1.6 billion of agricultural products to Spain, or 15 percent of total U.S. agricultural exports to the EU. The United States held a 4 percent market share of Spain’s agricultural imports and 2 percent market share in Portugal, behind other EU member states as a group and Brazil.

Taiwan is going through an unprecedented phase of high-end wine consumption growth, placing the United States as the second largest foreign supplier by value. Being the U.S. wine’s sixth largest valuable Asian market, Taiwan achieved its outsized impact for purchasing high-end U.S. wine.