What are the opportunities for manufacturing in the “one belt one road” initiative? The case of Hong Kong’s textiles and clothing sector

The One Belt, One Road (hereafter OBOR) initiative is a development strategy launched by China in 2015. Its aim is to increase economic co-operation among countries along the China’s Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road that connect Asia, Europe and Africa. As one of China’s important economic drivers, Hong Kong’s anticipated gains taking part in this initiative are substantial. This is particularly true for companies in the textiles and clothing (T&C) sectors, as the OBOR initiative offers investment opportunities in developing low-cost production bases in developing countries and promotes global trade. The main objective of this paper is twofold. First, it investigates how Hong Kong can strengthen its “superconnector” role, facilitating sustainable trade and development in the T&C industries among some OBOR countries. Specific measures are identified so that T&C companies in Hong Kong can establish and facilitate technological upgrades and transformation to potential production facilities in some developing countries under the OBOR initiative. This would contribute to the sustainable development of the T&C sectors in Hong Kong. Second, the study extends the gravity trade model to analyze the development of T&C trade patterns between Hong Kong and OBOR countries. Especially it covered some of the key factors not considered in previous studies, such as Logistics Performance Index (LPI), demographical factors, and those related to the business environment and policies. The analysis covers the impacts of country-specific, social, economic and supply chain factors on T&C trade. Based on the results, recommendations are provided to address how Hong Kong helps to facilitate trade and development of the T&C sectors under the OBOR initiative

The Spill-Over Impact of the Novel Coronavirus-19 Pandemic on Medical Care and Disease Outcomes in Non-communicable Diseases: A Narrative Review

OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed more than 5 million lives worldwide by November 2021. Implementation of lockdown measures, reallocation of medical resources, compounded by the reluctance to seek help, makes it exceptionally challenging for people with non-communicable diseases (NCD) to manage their diseases. This review evaluates the spill-over impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with NCDs including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes mellitus, chronic respiratory disease, chronic kidney disease, dementia, mental health disorders, and musculoskeletal disorders. METHODS: Literature published in English was identified from PubMed and medRxiv from January 1, 2019 to November 30, 2020. A total of 119 articles were selected from 6,546 publications found. RESULTS: The reduction of in-person care, screening procedures, delays in diagnosis, treatment, and social distancing policies have unanimously led to undesirable impacts on both physical and psychological health of NCD patients. This is projected to contribute to more excess deaths in the future. CONCLUSION: The spill-over impact of COVID-19 on patients with NCD is just beginning to unravel, extra efforts must be taken for planning the resumption of NCD healthcare services post-pandemic

The epidemiology of COVID-19 cases and the successful containment strategy in Hong Kong-January to May 2020

BACKGROUND: Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China, recorded its first confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case on 23 January 2020. We reviewed the case epidemiology and the various public health measures implemented from January to May 2020. METHODS: The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the cases recorded in different phases of the epidemic were described and compared, and the effectiveness of the public health measures implemented were reviewed using the changes in the daily number of confirmed cases and the interval from symptom onset to hospital admission. RESULTS: Between January and May 2020, 1084 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported, about 70% of which had a history of travel during the incubation period. The case fatality ratio was 0.4%. The local epidemic progressed through four phases: (1) preparedness and imported infection from mainland China, (2) local transmission, (3) imported infection from overseas countries associated with local transmission, and (4) controlled imported infection with limited local transmission, with an eventual reduction of the daily case number and minimization of the onset-to-admission interval. Various public health measures, including enhanced surveillance, border control, and social distancing, were introduced in phases in response to the prevailing local and global situations. DISCUSSION: The overall containment strategy in Hong Kong led to a stabilization of the number of cases and the absence of a community-wide outbreak during the 4.5 m after the first case was reported. This strategy of containment might serve as an example for future planning of preparedness and response against novel infectious agents

The impact on the growth of China clothing exports towards Asian developing countries

This paper illustrates the gravity model to investigate how the growth of China’s clothing exports is displacing the exports of other Asian developing countries since the 1990s. Aggregate analyses were undertaken, and the endogeneity of Chinese exports were accounted by applying instrumental variables with country fixed effects. It was found that there was a negative impact of China’s emergence on clothing exports from other Asian developing countries. Further, we explored if the displacement effect varies across Asian countries and the result showed that a more pronounced effect was found in low-income than in high-income Asian countries. Therefore, the export competitiveness of China’s neighbours, both more and less developed Asian countries, are influenced by the emergence of China in clothing Trade. Academic and managerial implications are also included

How can Hong Kong help to develop the professional supply chain service of textiles and clothing industries under the One belt one road initiative?

The One Belt One Road (hereafter OBOR) initiative is a development strategy launched by China in 2015, with the aim to increase economic co-operation among countries along the belt (Silk Road Economic Belt) and road (21st Century Maritime Silk Road) that connect Asia, Europe and Africa. The anticipated gains for Hong Kong from taking part in this initiative are substantial, including for those involved with the infrastructures, as well as the banking and private business sectors. Among those who stand to gain from the OBOR initiative (which is worth noting for manufacturers in developing their business) are the newly emerging low-cost production bases in the developing countries along the OBOR, which provide significant opportunities for some of the Hong Kong companies to invest in trade-led manufacturing in the low-wage, and labor-intensive sectors, i.e. the textiles and clothing (T&C) industries. The main objective of this paper is twofold. First, it investigates the crucial factors for Hong Kong to improve the coordination process among the T&C sectors and establish Hong Kong as a “super-connector”, to link the OBOR countries. Specific measures are identified so that T & C companies in Hong Kong can establish and facilitate technological upgrades and transformation to potential production facilities in OBOR countries. This would contribute to the sustainable development of T&C companies in Hong Kong in a dynamic globalized market. Second, the gravity trade model is extended to analyze the development of T&C trade patterns among the OBOR countries. It covered other factors not considered in previous studies on the same products, such as logistic performance index (LPI), demographical factors, and those related to business-related environment and policies including qualitative variables (as dummy variables. The model will be utilized to investigate the impacts of country-specific, social determinants as well as supply chain and economic indicators that affect the T&C trade flow between Hong Kong and the OBOR countries. With the analysis result, recommendations are provided to help Hong Kong T&C companies to improve their supply chain efficiency and competitiveness among OBOR countries. The empirical analysis will help to identify the extent that the determinants contribute to T&C trade at the global level. With the development of a database on global trade in the T&C industry, it is then possible to develop a specific gravity trade model of Hong Kong and the OBOR countries to investigate the trade potential between them for sustainable business development. Additionally, this research will also add valuable knowledge to increase current understanding of the factors that affect and enhance the T&C industries in Hong Kong

Interconversion between 4-Imidazolone Ions; Isomers of [b₄]⁺ Derived from Protonated Tetraglycine

Collision-induced dissociations of isotopically labeled protonated tetraglycines establish that the [b₄]⁺ ion formed by loss of water from the second amide bond (structure <b>II</b>) rearranges to form N₁-protonated 3,5-dihydro-4<i>H</i>-imidazol-4-one (structure <b>I</b>), the product of water loss from the first amide bond. Structure <b>II</b> is slightly higher in energy than <b>I</b> (Δ<i>H</i> at 0 K is 5.1 kJ mol^–1, as calculated at M06-2X/6-311++G-(d,p)), and the barrier to interconversion is 139.8 kJ mol^–1 above <b>I</b>. The dominant dissociation pathway is the loss of methanimine (HN=CH₂) from ion <b>I</b> with a barrier of 167.1 kJ mol^–1, giving [GlyGlyGlyGly + H – H₂O – HN=CH₂]⁺, ion <b>III</b>; a minor channel, loss of NH₃, has a slightly higher barrier (181.5 kJ mol^–1). Using labeled glycine (¹³C_α) it was determined that loss of the imine is from the same residue as that from which water was initially lost. The collision-induced dissociation spectra of ion <b>III</b> derived from both <b>I</b> and <b>II</b> were identical, and their energy-resolved curves were also very similar. Ion <b>III</b> fragments by losses of a glycine molecule (the dominant channel), a water molecule, and a glycine residue (57 Da), giving ions <b>IV</b>, <b>V</b>, and <b>VII</b>, respectively. Isotopic labeling established the origins of each of the neutral molecules that are lost. Using glycine (2,2 D₂), rapid deuterium exchange was observed for both ions <b>I</b> and <b>II</b> for the α-hydrogens that are from the <i>same</i> residue as that from which the water had been eliminated

Long-term spill-over impact of COVID-19 on health and healthcare of people with non-communicable diseases: a study protocol for a population-based cohort and health economic study

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant spill-over effect on people with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) over the long term, beyond the direct effect of COVID-19 infection. Evaluating changes in health outcomes, health service use and costs can provide evidence to optimise care for people with NCDs during and after the pandemic, and to better prepare outbreak responses in the future. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a population-based cohort study using electronic health records of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HA) CMS, economic modelling and serial cross-sectional surveys on health service use. This study includes people aged ≥18 years who have a documented diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease or chronic kidney disease with at least one attendance at the HA hospital or clinic between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2019, and without COVID-19 infection. Changes in all-cause mortality, disease-specific outcomes, and health services use rates and costs will be assessed between pre-COVID-19 and-post-COVID-19 pandemic or during each wave using an interrupted time series analysis. The long-term health economic impact of healthcare disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic will be studied using microsimulation modelling. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression and Poisson/negative binomial regression will be used to evaluate the effect of different modes of supplementary care on health outcomes. ETHICS AND DISSEMNIATION: The study was approved by the institutional review board of the University of Hong Kong, the HA Hong Kong West Cluster (reference number UW 21–297). The study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and international conferences