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The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, San Francisco hosted a brunch presentation programme today (April 1, Seattle time) at the Taste Washington event in Seattle, Washington.
Addressing the wineries representatives and wine brokers in the Washington area, the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, San Francisco, Mr Jeff Leung, said that this was a major wine event hosted by the Office since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Co-operation in Wine-related Businesses between Hong Kong and the Washington State.
Since the abolition of all wine duties in February 2008, Hong Kong has become a regional hub for wine trading and distribution. "Wine trading, distribution, auctions and other related business have shown notable growth," Mr Leung said.
"We are also delighted to see that our partnership with the United States in wine promotion has strengthened. The United States is now our third largest source of wine imports into Hong Kong. Wine imports from the US amounted to US$69 million for the first eleven months of 2011. This represents a growth of 65% as compared with the same period the year prior.
"In addition to elimination of wine duties, we have also launched many support measures to help the industry grow. They include: maintaining the present simple import/export procedures; consolidating the certification scheme for wine storage facilities; facilitating the clearance of wine exported to the Mainland through Hong Kong; fostering manpower training and education; combating counterfeits; and assisting wine-producing countries/regions establish regional offices in Hong Kong," he continued.
Mr Leung noted that Hong Kong has firmly established its position as one of the three largest wine auction centres in the world. "Since the exemption of wine duties, over 60 wine auctions have been held in Hong Kong, with record-breaking sales on several occasions."
He encouraged Washington wineries to export their wines to Hong Kong or through Hong Kong to the Mainland.
The participating wineries also had the opportunity to learn the Hong Kong wine fairs and festivals. Business Development Officer of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Ms Teresa Hung, gave details about the upcoming Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair.
In addition to the "Hong Kong: Opportunities for Washington Wineries" brunch presentation programme, the Office also set up a booth at the Taste Washington event. Taste Washington is the largest single-region wine and food event in the United States, featuring more than 200 Washington State wineries. This year's event is produced for the first time by Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau as a result of a new partnership with the Washington State Wine Commission.
Ends/Monday, April 2, 2012
Issued at HKT 08:25
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