b'2American Journal of Transportation ajot.comHong Kongs trading future By George Lauriat, AJOT CHINA TRADE 2021Hong Kong has for moreness approach has made it a thanfivedecadesexisteddesirable location for regional perched on the event horizonheadofficescompeting generated by the geo-politicalmainlywithSingaporeand angst of China and U.S. rela- toalesserextentBangkok, tions. During that time the ter- KualaLumpurandJakarta. ritoryhasnotonlysurvivedThe City also provided a plat-butthrivedasittransitionedform for Chinas own entre-from a far flung Royal Crownpreneurialexcursionswith colonyoftheUnitedKing- access to foreign markets and dom to the present SAR (Spe- capital.AndHongKongs cialAdministrativeRegionwell-honedlogisticssector ofthePeoplesRepublicofprovidedexportableexper-Chinaviathe1997hando- tisenotonlytoPRD(Pearl ver). Under the slogan OneRiverDelta)companiesand Country Two Systems, Hongother Chinese enterprises but Kong enjoyed more economicglobally. And Hong Kong has freedom(accordingtothebeen able to add a significant HeritageFoundationsrank- fin-techandhi-techelement ings Hong Kong was first forto its impressive portfolio of 25 straight yearssee below)business services. than any nation in the world.There are innate challenges BasicLaw,theframework(FUTUREcontinued on bywhichHongKongwaspage 4) Terminal operations at Ningbo-Zhoushan partially resume after no new COVID cases detected as of August 17th.tobeadministered,gavethe SARawiderangeoffree-domsbothindividuallyand corporatelylargelyunavail-able in China.Theeconomywasresil-ient and managed to prosper through economic downturns like1997[AsianFinancial Crisis]and2008/09[The GreatRecession].Thisisnt tosayHongKongdidnt sufferduringtheeconomic downturnsit did, especially intherealestateandfinan-cial sectorsbut was able toAS ONE, WE CAN. weather the inclement times. H ongK ongsE volvingR olE ONE CONNECTS ASIA AND BEYONDHongKongsposition [figurativelyandliterally] asconduitforChinatradeWith weekly liner services to all major trade lanes around the world, and investment has been theOcean Network Express (ONE) o\x02ers customers a superior level of service and foundational element of theconvenience when it comes to Trans-Pacic shipments between Asia and economy:Beingtheulti- North America. This is further complemented by an ongoing eet expansion program mate insider but outside ofand the use of enhanced operational and service technologies, through which ONE is the PRC (Peoples Republic of China) has been the keybetter equipped to connect with customers now and in the future.tosuccessformanyHong Kongbusinessesengaged directly and indirectly in the China Trade. The Port of Hong Kong also reflected the entrepot dynamic,risingtobecome oneofthelargestcontainer ports in world as a go-between for trade moving in and out of China. During the 1980s, itcouldhavebeenargued that the Port of Hong Kong wasdefactoChinaslarg-est port for handling foreign merchandise trade [excluding bulkoilandotherdrybulk products]. A byproduct of the port activity was the develop-ment of an extensive logistics sector. This logistics sectors activities piggy backed on an extensivesourcingnetwork that linked Chinas manufac-turing to Western markets. Since the handover from the United Kingdom to China in 1997 and with the rise of the Chinese economy, the role of Hong Kong has changed.Ocean Network Express(North America) Inc. 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Richmond, VA 23235While still a key entry point andstagingareaforbusi- Customer Service ( 844 ) 413 - 6029www.one-line.comnesses operating in the China market,theCityspro-busi-'