It's not just makers of high-priced baijiu that are taking a hit from Beijing's ongoing frugality campaign and a military ban on extravagant banquets.

Since American traders moved to Hong Kong in 1842 following the First Opium War, American brands have proliferated in the city to include Levi’s, Calvin Klein, Gap and DKNY.

Aided by ramped-up marketing efforts and more efficient visa procedures, Chinese tourism to the United States is expected to rise some 13 percent this year, pushing arrivals from 1.5 million last year to the upper end of 1.7 million in 2013.

Coming off a tumultuous 2012 in China, investors are looking at new opportunities in 2013 and wondering whether the recent leadership handover will augur well for business.

Whisky makers and cashmere labels, golf evangelists and salmon salesmen aren't the only ones angling to get a bigger piece of the China market.