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Under a new policy, importers of wine and distilled spirits whose domestic agents are registered within the Shanghai Free Trade Zone are no longer required to register the U.S. producer name and brand as a trademark in China prior to commercial sales.

Korea’s wine import sector has been undergoing a stabilizing phase since the explosive growth around 2021. In 2023, wine imports reached 506 million USD, down 12.9 percent from the previous year, totaling 56.5 million kg, a decrease of 20.4 percent compared to 2022.

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.

From February 23, 2024, U.S. wines can access the Thai market duty-free and with lower excise taxes.

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.

On March 6, 2023, China notified the National Food Safety Standard for Fermented Wine and Its Preparation to the World Trade Organization (WTO) under G/SPS/N/CHN/1265.

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.

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.