Once a lucrative gateway for moving Bordeaux into mainland China, the cross-border trade is being squeezed by big-data surveillance, weak demand and evaporating margins.
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Wine smuggling
Chinese authorities say smugglers used “parallel traders” to funnel premium spirits and cigars from Macau into the mainland, evading more than RMB 3.16 million in taxes amid widening cross-border price gaps. Read More
China’s sweeping new tariffs on American goods are already having unintended consequences—driving up smuggling activity as premium wine labels like California’s Opus One become increasingly lucrative targets for illicit trade. Read More
Investigators seized 705 bottles of wine and estimated tax evasion at more than 16 million yuan (US$2.2 million) including well-known names Louis Jadot and Domaine Faiveley. Read More
Authorities in Zhuhai, Guangdong have uncovered a massive wine and spirits smuggling operation, with over 1 million bottles seized. Read More
Malaysia uncovered a wine smuggling case from Thailand, raising alarm that cross-border smuggling may be on the rise following Thailand's removal of wine import tariffs. Read More
This marks the first publicly reported wine smuggling case involving extradition in China. Read More
The Chinese government has recently unveiled a major wine smuggling case worth RMB 310 million (US$42.5 million), marking one of the most significant busts in recent years. Read More
Beijing has raised the purchasing limit for mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong and Macau to boost Hong Kong’s sluggish retail sales, but this has raised concerns about incentivizing larger-value, cross-border wine smuggling. Read More
The wines confiscated included some of the world's most sought-after wines including Bordeaux first growth Château Latour and top Burgundy wines such as Domaine Dujac, Domaine Leflaive and Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils. Read More