Hong Kong-Spain Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Co-operation in Wine-related Businesses covers not just wine trading and investment promotion.  It embraces economic activities that would have synergy with wine trading and distribution, such as wine-related food promotion, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) events, tourism, wine education and training, as well as co-operation in the fight against counterfeits.

The MOU provides a sound framework for Hong Kong to work together with the Spanish Government on a number of specific areas:

(a)  facilitation of business visits, exhibitions and wine-related trade fairs - to strengthen wine-related trading activities, both sides will encourage and facilitate business visits, and encourage co-operation among our wine fair organisers to facilitate each other's participation in wine fairs organised in Hong Kong or Spain.

In particular, the two sides will work closely together for a strong showing of Spanish wines and food items that go with wine like ham, tapas and cheese in the international wine fairs organised by the Trade Development Council annually in Hong Kong.

(b) "Great Wine Capitals Global Network" (1) - the two sides will encourage the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, a network of internationally-renowned wine regions, to hold its annual meetings and/or wine-related events in Hong Kong.  This is part of our efforts to attract large-scale MICE events to Hong Kong;

(c) investment promotion activities - the investment promotion agencies of the two sides will provide industry connections to interested investors and facilitate exchange of information on investment activities and services;

(d) education and manpower training - the two governments will encourage the training institutions in Hong Kong (2) and Spain to enhance partnership so as to strengthen education on wine appreciation/culture and manpower training on wine-related subjects;

(e) wine-related tourism and wine culture - we will encourage enhanced partnership on promoting wine-related tourism and wine culture through for example exchanges between travel industry stakeholders in Hong Kong and Spain; and

(d) Customs co-operation against counterfeit wine - the customs administrations of Hong Kong and Spain will provide assistance to each other against illicit activities involving counterfeit wine.  Hong Kong has a clean record on this.  We will upkeep our vigilance through such enhanced co-operation.

Notes:

(1) The "Great Wine Capitals Global Network" is a network led by Bordeaux with seven other world-renowned wine-producing regions/cities.  The seven cities are Bilbao-Rioja (Spain), Cape Town (South Africa), Florence (Italy), Melbourne (Australia), Mendoza (Argentina), Oporto (Portugal) and San Francisco - Napa Valley (U.S.A.).

(2)  Examples of the training institutions are the Vocational Training Council, the School of Professional and Continuing Education of the University of Hong Kong, and Li Ka Shing Institute of Professional and Continuing Education of the Open University of Hong Kong.