Speech by FS at Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair 2026 (English only)
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Smilely (Acting Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Ms Smilely Lam), consuls-general, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening. Welcome to the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair.
As Financial Secretary, I spend a great deal of time looking at figures. So it is a pleasure to join an occasion where "good balance" and "a strong finish" mean something rather different.
And I promise to keep my remarks short. A good wine may benefit from breathing. A speech does not always benefit from going on.
My thanks to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council for bringing us together. To our exhibitors and buyers, and especially those joining us for the first time: a very warm welcome.
Behind every bottle here is a story: of a place, a tradition, and people who care deeply about their craft. This Fair helps those stories travel - and helps the businesses behind them find new customers.
That is also what Hong Kong is here to do.
Our role is to bring producers and buyers together, connect markets, and help businesses turn a promising introduction into a lasting partnership.
The Government has a part to play, too. Following our duty reduction for high-end liquor, the figures are encouraging. Comparing the 18 months before and after the change, duty-paid liquor imports rose by about 6 per cent in volume and nearly 33 per cent in value.
That is something worth toasting.
But the purpose goes beyond bringing more bottles into Hong Kong. We want to create more opportunities: for traders and logistics providers, for restaurants and retailers, and for the many businesses that support this industry.
You can see that ambition taking shape in the Fair's expanded "World of Spirits".
Chinese baijiu brands are looking to reach international audiences. Producers from around the world are looking for new markets in Asia. Hong Kong brings them together - not simply to trade, but to learn about different tastes, traditions and possibilities.
And do visit our home-grown distillers. Their creativity reminds us that Hong Kong is not only a place where products change hands. It is also a place where new ideas take shape.
That spirit of invention extends to the new Service Zone, featuring AI sommeliers and automated cocktail machines.
An AI sommelier may help you choose a bottle. But I suspect it will be some time before it can replace the friend who says, "Trust me - you'll love this one."
Technology can make discovery easier and service better. The human connection remains at the heart of hospitality - and of business.
Just look at Bar Leone, named the World's Best Bar for two consecutive years. It is a wonderful tribute to the talent and hospitality of our city. Clearly, Hong Kong knows a thing or two about raising the bar.
So, while you are here, look beyond the exhibition halls. Explore our restaurants, bars and neighbourhoods. Meet the people behind the menus and the counters. Let Hong Kong surprise you.
Ladies and gentlemen, a successful fair is measured not only by what is sold today, but by what begins here: a first order, a new collaboration, or a conversation that opens an unexpected door.
That is our ambition for Hong Kong: a place where the world meets, and where meeting leads to opportunity.
I wish you a rewarding Fair, fruitful partnerships and a wonderful stay in Hong Kong.
May your conversations flow, your partnerships mature, and your memories of Hong Kong have a very long finish.
Thank you very much.
Ends/Thursday, November 5, 2026
Issued at HKT 18:12
Issued at HKT 18:12
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