Hong Kong

Mainland Headwear Holdings Ltd was established in 1986 and listed in Hong Kong in 2000, engaging in the design, manufacturing, trade and retail of casual headwear. In recent years, Mainland Headwear has expanded its businesses through mergers and acquisitions as well as the establishment of strategic alliances, including signing a manufacturing agreement with New Era Cap Co., Inc., acquiring H3 Sportgear LLC and San Diego Hat Company, and forming a joint venture with Promotional Partners Worldwide Group Ltd to design, manufacture, and sell Sanrio products in the Chinese mainland. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Mainland Headwear has factories in Shenzhen and Bangladesh, manufacturing licensed casual headwear which are primarily sold in the US and European markets.

Capitalising on the Belt and Road Initiative, Mainland Headwear set up a 25,000-square-metre factory in rural Bangladesh in 2013 to boost production as the rise in labour costs on the Chinese mainland was weighing on profits. In its initial three years of operation, the company’s factory expanded significantly, with the number of staff increasing from 200 in 2013 to 4,500 in 2017, and monthly production together with production efficiency are continuously being enhanced.

Mrs Pauline Ngan, Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of Mainland Headwear Holdings Ltd, said many infrastructure projects including expressways, railways, deep water ports and power plants had been built in Bangladesh since the launch of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The travelling time between the capital city Dhaka and Chittagong port will be shortened from seven to eight hours, to four to five hours upon completion of a new expressway, which will greatly improve the efficiency of raw material transportation. With the railway from Dhaka to Kunming expected to be completed in 2020, along with the deep water port construction deal between Bangladesh authorities and China’s COSCO, the local garment manufacturing industry is tipped to grow.

With more than 30 years of industry experience, the company overcame operational challenges in Bangladesh with its localised manufacturing planning and customised human resources management scheme. The company developed a digitalised inventory monitoring system, the ERP System, for management to obtain real-time information about inventory and raw materials’ status, and for customers to track their orders. Specialised equipment such as embroidery machines, sublimation printers and laser engraving machines were also widely adopted to better manage output. The company also maintained effective two-way communication with its staff to tackle issues arising from cultural misunderstanding. In order to instill a team atmosphere and strong sense of belonging among the workers, the company organises praying assemblies for Muslim workers, and provides comprehensive remuneration packages including housing allowances and gift packs with daily necessities. The setup of the factory has also boosted the population of the village from 400 to 10,000, improving its GDP and living standards.

Mrs Ngan said the Hong Kong-based company has been playing a role in connecting Chinese investors and the Bangladesh authorities. As a member of the Chinese Investors’ Alliance, Mrs Ngan provides consultation and training services to newcomers through regular classes on setting up companies in the country and overcoming cultural barriers.

Mrs Ngan said, as the company further expands its operation in the country, the Bangladesh factory will become the focus of the company’s business development. The second phase of the factory will be in operation by the year 2018. The company also plans to recruit 2,000 additional workers and local university graduates to hopefully enhance the synergy between the Bangladesh factory and the design and high-end production facilities in Shenzhen.

Hong Kong’s success as an art hub for the Belt and Road includes “perfect” logistics, a proliferation of arts venues and international trade connections, says Kevin Ching of top auction house, Sotheby’s. With Hong Kong being Sotheby’s headquarters for Asia, he says the emergence of Chinese and Southeast Asian art in global markets are joined by work by other talented artists from Belt and Road areas that include the Caucuses and Central Asia. 

Speaker:
Kevin Ching, CEO Asia, Sotheby’s 

Related Links:
Hong Kong Trade Development Council
http://www.hktdc.com

HKTDC Belt and Road Portal
http://beltandroad.hktdc.com/en/

Hong Kong-based Branded, a live media company, increasingly holds festivals and other events in Belt and Road countries and CEO Jasper Donat sees the Initiative as enhancing business, while Hong Kong is an easy and entrepreneurial centre for operations. With many events like music and YouTube festivals in Southeast Asia, Branded has most recently initiated events in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Speaker: Jasper Donat, Co-Founder & CEO, Branded

Related Links:
Hong Kong Trade Development Council
http://www.hktdc.com

HKTDC Belt and Road Portal
http://beltandroad.hktdc.com/en/

The MTR Academy offers intense courses on professional and managerial railway expertise, aiming to improve railways on the Belt and Road Initiative, according to Academy President Morris Cheung. This is essential for management development, says participant Kyaw Kyaw Myo of Myanmar Railways. Azerul Fahmi Mohamed of Malaysia’s Mass Rapid Transit enhances his railway management while Deddy Gamawan of MRT Jakarta looks to MTR’s high-speed expertise. 

Speakers:
Kyaw Kyaw Myo, General Manager (Operating), Myanmar Railways
Azerul Fahmi Mohamed, Manager, Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd
M Deddy Gamawan, Division Head, PT MRT Jakarta
Morris Cheung, President, MTR Academy
Valentin Reyes, HSEQ Director, Light Rail Manila Corporation

Related Links:
Hong Kong Trade Development Council
http://www.hktdc.com

HKTDC Belt and Road Portal
http://beltandroad.hktdc.com/en/

Between 60 per cent and 70 per cent of all investment in infrastructure across the Belt and Road in 2016 flowed through Hong Kong in some way, says PwC’s Simon Booker – and Hong Kong has everything to gain in 2017. PwC’s Belt and Road Watch research for the past year shows that overall investment exceeded US$490 billion, with one third taking place or originating on the Chinese mainland.

Speakers:
Simon Booker, Partner, Corporate Finance, PwC
Gabriel Wong, Head, Corporate Finance, PwC China & Hong Kong 

Related Links:
Hong Kong Trade Development Council
http://www.hktdc.com

HKTDC Belt and Road Portal
http://beltandroad.hktdc.com/en/ 

Based in Hong Kong with a history spanning more than a century, China Construction Bank (Asia) Corporation Ltd (“China Construction Bank (Asia)” or “CCB (Asia)”) is the flagship subsidiary of China Construction Bank Corporation (“CCB”) with the largest and most comprehensive operation, the most diverse range of products, and a pool of exceptional talents for CCB’s overseas business. With the establishment of its Credit Approval Centre Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong, CCB (Asia) will continue to play a pivotal role working in partnership with other CCB affiliates in Hong Kong in supporting Chinese mainland enterprises’ “going global” as well as participation in the Belt and Road Initiative.

As an international financial hub, Hong Kong is a key strategic link within the Belt and Road Initiative. As most mainland enterprises have chosen to set up their offshore headquarters or fund management platforms in Hong Kong, the Special Administrative Region has become the “going global” bridgehead for mainland enterprises, presenting CCB (Asia) with tremendous opportunities. Hong Kong is one of Asia’s most dynamic markets in syndicated loans, bonds, IPOs, asset management and corporate treasury management. It is also the world’s leading offshore renminbi market with a high degree of connectivity to global markets. To mainland enterprises, Hong Kong possesses a distinctive talent edge by virtue of its biliterate and trilingual financial talent pool armed with global insight and vision, its wealth of professionals in accounting, law and tax, as well as its high level of marketisation in human resources and flexible employment mechanism.

CCB (Asia) has in recent years assembled and cultivated a pool of specialists who, by playing key roles in major overseas financing projects in the past, have been instrumental in driving the development of CCB’s overseas financing business. As CCB’s largest comprehensive banking platform outside of the mainland, CCB (Asia) is a key financing centre for major overseas projects involving mainland enterprises. Its independent Structured Finance Team and Syndication Team are in a position to offer companies a suite of financial services products ranging from international syndication and M&A loans to project financing and asset financing. Its services include deal structuring, project evaluation and advisory services, financial modelling, syndicated loan distribution, loan documentation negotiation, arrangement for signing of legal documents and loan drawdown.

The establishment of the Credit Approval Centre Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong signifies an important milestone in CCB’s internationalisation and will help to elevate the quality and efficiency of the loan approval process. It also underscores Hong Kong’s status as a “super-connector” between the mainland and international practices and standards. With the accumulation of valuable experience through execution of live deals, CCB's Hong Kong Training Centre leverages Hong Kong’s advantage in having a concentration of resources, information and talents to provide CCB staff with the mentorship of experienced professionals and the kind of international exposure vital to understanding offshore business. Furthermore, they will benefit from the synergies between enterprises and the financial services community. These advantages make Hong Kong the ideal location for CCB to provide superior support for Chinese enterprises’ “going global”.

Environmental protection is critical to China’s Belt and Road Initiative to parallel economic goals, says Steve Wong of Hong Kong’s BillionGroup Technologies. The firm develops solutions like waste-generated energy, solar power and industrial efficiency projects in Belt and Road locations including the Chinese mainland, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Dubai. He sees Hong Kong as an ideal location for green solutions to replicate in Belt and Road countries. 

Speaker:
Prof. Ir Steve Wong, Managing Director, BillionGroup Technologies Ltd

Related Links:
Hong Kong Trade Development Council
http://www.hktdc.com

HKTDC Belt and Road Portal
http://beltandroad.hktdc.com/en
 

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel & Tourism Management is rated the best in Asia and second globally – linking hospitality, tourism and high quality education across China’s Belt and Road Initiative culturally, socially and economically. So says Brian King, Associate Dean, while students say they plan to use their expertise learned in Hong Kong to benefit their home countries on the Belt and Road.   

Speakers:
Brian King, Associate Dean, School of Hotel & Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Michelle Li Xiao, Student from the Chinese mainland
Laila Tokbayeva, Student from Kazakhstan
Pavithra Senevirathne, Student from Sri Lanka
Richard Hrankai, Student from Hungary

Related Links:
Hong Kong Trade Development Council
http://www.hktdc.com

HKTDC Belt and Road Portal
http://beltandroad.hktdc.com/en/

Hong Kong’s highly rated Hotel ICON is a unique experience combining hospitality and learning for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, says Brian King, Associate Dean at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel & Tourism Management. Students from the Chinese mainland, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka and Hungary evaluate their experiences while Professor King says the school and hotel engage prospective industry leaders of the future.

Speakers:
Brian King, Associate Dean, School of Hotel & Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Michelle Li Xiao, Student from the Chinese mainland
Laila Tokbayeva, Student from Kazakhstan
Pavithra Senevirathne, Student from Sri Lanka
Richard Hrankai, Student from Hungary

Related Links:
Hong Kong Trade Development Council
https://www.hktdc.com/

HKTDC Belt and Road Portal
https://beltandroad.hktdc.com/en/

International kitchenware distributor Meyer started its adventure in Thailand as early as in the 1980s. As a forerunner of setting up manufacturing plants in ASEAN countries, Joseph Lo, General Manager of Meyer, shares his insight into identifying production bases overseas. While local tariffs and labour costs are key factors for investors to ponder, Joseph thinks social stability and cultural inclusiveness should also be taken into consideration. Thailand offers a good balance in all.