2021.03.19
INDUSTRY NEWS - 2021.03.19
1、廣交會4月網上辦 續免參展費 設「鄉村振興」專區 助脫貧地區企業外闖
中國商務部宣布，第129屆中國進出口商品交易會（簡稱廣交會），將於4月15至24日在網上舉行，展期10天。這是新冠肺炎疫情以來，廣交會第三次綫上舉辦，將繼續免收企業參展費用，也不向參與同步活動的跨境電商平台收取任何費用。
當局表示，在當前形勢下，繼續在網上舉辦廣交會，有利鞏固疫情防控和經濟社會發展成果，進一步發揮廣交會全方位對外開放平台作用，維護外貿產業鏈、供應鏈暢通運轉。
疫情以來 第三次綫上舉辦
本屆廣交會展覽題材與上屆保持基本一致，出口展按16大類商品設50個展區，進口展設6大題材，所有展區自開幕之日起同時上綫。同時，繼續設立展商展品展示、供採對接、跨境電商等板塊，提供信息展示、即時溝通、預約洽談、貿易配對、直播營銷等服務。
此外，為做好鞏固拓展脫貧攻堅成果，同鄉村振興有效銜接，將專設「鄉村振興」專區，幫助脫貧地區企業開拓國際市場。
廣交會創辦於1957年春，每年春秋兩季在廣州舉辦，是中國目前歷史最長、規模最大、商品種類最全、到會採購商最多，且分布國家地區最廣、成交效果最好、信譽最佳的綜合性國際貿易盛會。近年，雖然內地有各類不同的商貿展覽，但廣交會仍被視為中國外貿的「晴雨表」和「風向標」
去年2.6萬企業參加 撑外貿支柱
以歷史數據看，從創辦至今，廣交會共吸引了210多個國家和地區的800多萬採購商參加，累計出口成交額超1.4萬億美元（約10.9萬億港元）。據不完全統計，近2.6萬家參展企業的年出口額約佔全國出口總額的13%，佔一般貿易出口的24%，是支撑外貿發展的重要力量。
受疫情影響，2020年兩屆廣交會都轉到了網上舉辦。值得注意的是，官方並未披露2020年度的春季和秋季成交額和採購商人數，而這也是自1957年廣交會舉辦以來首次。
據官方公布，在去年第128屆綫上廣交會，2.6萬家境內外參展企業通過廣交會綫上平台展示產品、直播營銷、在綫洽談，吸引了來自226個國家和地區的採購商註冊觀展，採購商來源地分布創歷史紀錄。
另一方面，廣交會展館四期擴建項目已啟動。展館和國際會議中心預計2022年秋交會投入使用，總建築面積新增40%，新增展位5,000個。
廣交會展館四期項目，是廣交會展館發展史上最大的擴建工程，將於2022年第132屆廣交會投入使用。建成後的展館功能更完善，將成全球規模最大會展綜合體。
資料來源：香港經濟日報 (2021年3月19日)
2、接種中國疫苗者 駐港公署提供赴內地便利
【明報專訊】中國疾控中心主任高福表示，按照目前新冠疫苗的產量，中國應能在今年年底至明年年中時達到70%至80%的接種率，即目標人群9億到10億。中國環球電視網（CGTN）昨（13日）引述高福稱，面對全球疫情蔓延，中國應帶頭做到群體免疫。
高福：華接種率明年達70%
外交部駐港公署12日發出通知，稱本月15日起，公署將對已接種中國新冠疫苗，並持疫苗接種證明的人士提供便利。申請條件包括赴華從事各領域復工復產活動的外籍人員及其家屬，可按新冠疫情前的要求準備材料並遞交申請，毋須提供省級外事、商務部門或央企的邀請函及邀請核實單。中國公民或永久居民的外籍家庭成員，包括配偶、父母、子女和其他共同生活的近親屬，如因家庭團聚、贍養、探親、來華奔喪或探望危重病親屬亦可遞交簽證申請。第三類人士為持有效APEC商務旅行卡人員，可憑有效APEC商務旅行卡及中國內地邀請單位出具的邀請函，申請辦理商貿類簽證。
台稱建議繼續接種牛津疫苗
台灣早前引入英國牛津-阿斯利康新冠疫苗，並計劃周三在最後一項無菌試驗完成後接種；針對歐洲9國近日因血栓疑慮停用牛津疫苗，中央社昨引述台中央流行疫情指揮中心醫療應變組副組長羅一鈞表示，歐盟藥品管理局（EMA）安全委員會認為，該疫苗效益大於風險，仍建議繼續接種。不過，他稱未來幾天若證明兩者有關聯，將研究調整接種條件。
中國外交部駐港公署 - 對接種中國生產新冠肺炎疫苗人員來華提供簽證便利的通知
為有序恢復中外人員往來，自2021年3月15日起，中國外交部駐香港特別行政區特派員公署將對已經接種中國生產的新冠肺炎疫苗，並持疫苗接種證明材料的以下簽證申請人提供便利：
（一）赴華從事各領域復工複產活動的外籍人員及其家屬，可按照新冠疫情前的要求準備材料並遞交申請，即無需提供省級外事、商務部門或央企的《邀請函（PU）》、《邀請函（TE）》及《邀請核實單》。
（二）適度擴大因“緊急人道主義需要”赴華人員簽證審發範圍。適用人群：中國公民或永久居民的外籍家庭成員，包括配偶、父母、子女和其他共同生活的近親屬（指兄弟姐妹、祖父母、外祖父母、孫子女、外孫子女）。赴華事由：家庭團聚、贍養、探親、來華奔喪或探望危重病親屬。符合上述條件者，可遞交簽證申請。
（三）持有效APEC商務旅行卡人員，可憑有效APEC商務旅行卡及中國內地邀請單位出具的邀請函，申請辦理商貿類簽證。
請注意，以上相關便利僅適用於已經接種中國生產的新冠肺炎疫苗（接種中國生產的疫苗並按規定時間間隔打完2針或接種中國生產單針疫苗後滿14天），並持疫苗接種證明材料的簽證申請人，在遞交申請時不再需要提供核酸檢測陰性證明和《過去14天旅行軌跡和健康申報表》。其他申請人仍需按外交部駐香港特別行政區特派員公署2021年2月9日更新發佈的《外交部駐香港公署疫情期間簽證申辦須知》及《疫情期間在香港申請中國簽證您可能關心的26個問題》執行。
資料來源：明報 及 www.fmcoprc.gov.hk (2021年3月14日)
3、低風險地區恢復自由 憑健康綠碼內地通行
【明報專訊】國家衛健委昨公布疫情最新數據，內地前日（13日）新增10宗確診，當中無本土病例，現有確診183宗。當局又放寬防疫措施，明天（16日）起低風險地區人員可憑健康碼「綠碼」在內地乘坐火車，毋須持核酸檢測陰性證明。多家航空公司亦表示，內地民眾明日起只需綠碼即可通行，毋須核酸檢測。
毋須核酸檢測陰性證明
內地目前已無高風險及中風險地區，僅黑龍江、吉林及河北等省市部分城區仍未解除「低風險地區」警示。《健康時報》報道，經向中國鐵路12306客服中心工作人員查詢確認，低風險地區人員明日起可憑健康碼「綠碼」在內地乘坐火車出行，毋須核酸檢測陰性證明。此外，包括北京首都國際機場、廣州白雲機場等多地機場工作人員表示，內地民眾明日起只需綠碼即可通行，不需核酸檢測，同時建議出行前查詢出發和目的地區最新政策。南方航空、海南航空公司等多家航空公司的工作人員則表示以起落地的政策為準。
此前，恰逢全國兩會時期，進入北京者須做檢測等防疫要求。從明日起，內地低風險地區人員不再需要持抵京前7日內核酸檢測陰性證明，抵京後毋須經14天健康監測，毋須再於第7天及第14天做核酸檢測，只要持綠碼、探熱正常，做好個人防護就可自由進京。
報道稱，綜合內地各地防疫部門及交通部門消息，低風險地區者憑健康碼可在內地自由通行。換言之，內地明日起放寬防疫限制，各地民眾可自由流動。
在農曆新年前夕，包括天津、山西等省市發文對春運期間（1月28日至3月8日）的各地人士返鄉列出明確規定，要求低風險地區者返鄉提供3日或7日內檢測陰性證明。部分省份也對返鄉人員「層層加碼」，除了要求所有低風險地區返鄉者均提供核酸檢測報告，甚至返鄉後也要限制出行。
歐盟擬推疫苗護照 不計中俄產品
歐盟計劃推出疫苗證書供27個成員國人民在區內自由往返工作或旅遊，但疫苗只限歐洲藥品管理局（EMA）所批准使用的品牌，換言之中國和俄羅斯生產的疫苗將不被納入疫苗護照之中。
歐盟委員會將於本周三（17日）提出數碼疫苗證書草案交議會審議。有高官透露，那證明文件將綜合持有人的接種疫苗紀錄，以及是否罹患過新型冠狀病毒、是否有抗體，以及新冠病毒檢測結果。不過，疫苗紀錄只限於EMA批核使用的種類。
特別依靠旅遊業的南歐國家普遍支持「疫苗護照」，其中希臘預計5月開始恢復接待外國遊客，以重振被受打擊的國家經濟，但遊客必須證明已接種疫苗、身體有抗體或有陰性檢測證明。
資料來源：明報 (2021年3月15日)
4、再工業化培訓累批1900宗 創科署資助 轉型高增值
特區政府近年積極推動再工業化，為本地經濟尋找新增長點。生產力促進局與香港科技園公司昨合辦「推動香港再工業化發展論壇暨主題展館開幕典禮」，介紹跟「再工業化」相關的政府資助計劃，以及各種技術與培訓、先進基建設施及成功升級個案，鼓勵業界轉向高增值生產及逐步升級至「工業4.0」，讓企業把握創新科技帶來的機遇。
創新科技署署長潘婷婷在開幕禮上致詞時指出，至今政府已投放過千億元支持發展創科，該署在2018年8月推出「再工業化及科技培訓計劃」（RTTP），資助本地企業人員接受高新科技培訓，特別是與「工業4.0」有關的培訓。至今年2月底，該計劃已批出超過1900宗培訓資助申請，涉及超過3740名本地企業人員，總資助額超過2900萬元。
食品加工商拓智能生產
資金方面，創科署去年7月底推出「再工業化資助計劃」，資助生產商在香港設立新的智能生產線。截至今年2月底，共收到12宗申請，除了一宗申請自行撤回，評審委員會已考核11宗申請，原則上同意當中9宗，涉及生物科技、食品加工、建造、印刷、醫療器材及納米纖維材料等行業，總資助額約5500萬元。
廚房壹號有限公司是其中一個獲「再工業化資助計劃」支持的申請者，以建立中央廚房智能食品加工生產線的項目計劃。該公司創辦人黃志超表示，公司從事食品生產約6年，主要為連鎖集團、餐廳等提供食品半成品及成品。去年2月受疫情打擊，產能跌至不足10%，遂決定轉型至消費者市場。
公司曾計劃購買自動化設備，更新現有舊機器，惟受資金及物流所限，未能成事。後來從生產力局的專家團隊了解到智能生產的優勢，並在其協助下申請有關計劃，雖然該計劃最高資助額是獲批項目支出的三分之一，但是涵蓋機械、設備購置、聘請顧問團隊撰寫解決方案、未來聘請技術人員的培訓，以至技術專利費用豁免，對小型企業大有幫助。
學者倡完善產學研生態鏈
香港大學經管學院經濟學教授鄧希煒在座談會中提到，美國有不少研究揭示，工業特別是高端工業本身，能製造大量上流機會，達致可持續及包容性增長。此外，內地以至西方國家經常提及「產學研」，鄧希煒認為，香港有一流學校及研究人員，惟研究成果往往難以商品化，原因之一正是香港沒有工業，令整個產學研生態鏈斷裂。
談到本港地價高昂或沒條件發展工業，他認為即使本地日後只做高端研發，但要令香港與粵港澳大灣區的產業鏈接軌，同樣須留有測試空間；一旦缺乏本地人才與工業間的溝通渠道，每每要過境才能跟大灣區廠家交流，長遠只會削弱香港科研競爭力。
資料來源：信報財經 (2021年3月18日)
5、疫後「內循環」啟動 新消費掀併購熱潮
兩會開完，內地正式開始新一個經濟年度，今年更是疫後「雙循環」的正式開端，第一季已展現經濟結構向內轉的趨勢，內地多個行業都出現併購熱潮，集中在物業、電子商務、物流等內需型戰略行業。
近期香港A股劇烈調整，物業板塊依舊活躍。去年共有18家物業服務企業登陸資本市場，疫情以來物業企業開啟的上市和收併購熱潮也延續至今年。近一個月就有碧桂園服務斥48.47億人幣收購藍光嘉寶，以及龍湖物業以12.73億人幣收購億達中國，兩宗10億元級別的收購。
受惠疫情紅利 物流商紛併購
事實上，物業管理是「內循環」消費刺激下內地最新的風口行業，已經脫胎於地產行業，或者是傳統的社區管理功能，因為其具有天然的流量資源，在互聯網時代已快速轉型成為各種消費的場景平台。另一方面，社區管理需要的智能硬件，也成為科技開發企業看中的應用平台。兼具「內循環」最重要的產業升級和創造消費需求，物業行業近兩年的快速崛起有着深刻邏輯。
同樣獲得「疫情紅利」的還有物流和電子商務。隔離措施和社交限制導致線上購物的井噴，今年春節內地一綫城市因「就地過年」，物流及綫上出現「就地爆發式消費」，遏抑一整年的消費需求在這個無法團聚的長假充分釋放，除了少了火車票錢，其他都沒少。
物流也成為近期資本市場的活躍者，順豐控股以23億美元收購嘉里物流，香港方源資本收購了內地物流公司榮慶物流。
市場研究數據公司路孚特的一份報告顯示，今年以來，內地併購交易正以創紀錄的速度進行，交易額已達到775億美元，幾乎是去年同期的3倍。而其中，大量的資本是導向下消費行業和其他受益於「內循環」的行業。
事實上，一方面是內循環需求的激增，另一方面，因疫情和中美關係緊張造成的外循環需求下降，也加速了資本在境內循環的速度。企業家們更加重視內地的交易活動，特別是對於頭部企業來說，這個時候能夠買到很多「便宜的好貨」，加速行業的洗牌。
不過這也帶來另一個問題，是去年底以來監管當局開啟的反壟斷和控制資本無序擴張的力度正在不斷加強。企業面臨着在市場帶來的併購良機，與當前趨於嚴厲的監管審美之間作出平衡的困擾。
剛結束的兩會上，對數字經濟的反壟斷監管是一個似熱非熱的話題，熱是因為大家關注，期待着政府工作報告如何做出最新論斷。「非熱」則是因為話題敏感，監管要求又無細則，企業家們都避之不得，不敢大加議論。
今次政府工作報告中的說法較為中庸，既說要支持平台經濟發展，支持出現具有國際競爭力的大企業，但也重申要避免壟斷和資本無序擴張。與會者私下討論，還是不明就裏，吃不準監管態度到底如何，特別是對於迅速發展的數字經濟行業，它們本身就帶有天然的資本壟斷屬性，如何能夠找到監管要求和企業擴張的邊界，正成為疫情之後內地新經濟企業的新課題。
資料來源：香港經濟日報 (2021年3月18日)
6、十四五谷戰略新興產業 佔GDP逾17% 強化國家經濟安全 推金融糧食能源戰略
中美科技戰白熱化之際，全國人大日前通過的「十四五」（2021至2025年）規劃綱要提出，把科技自立自強作為國家發展的戰略支撑，戰略性新興產業增加值佔GDP比重超過17%。
綱要並提及，要強化國家經濟安全保障，實施金融、糧食、能源3大安全戰略。
十四五規劃和2035年遠景目標綱要的全文日前發布，全文約6.3萬字，共19篇65章，其中「堅持創新驅動發展，全面塑造發展新優勢」列於第二篇。
綱要指，要強化國家戰略科技力量，制定科技強國行動綱要，健全社會主義市場經濟條件下新型舉國體制，打好關鍵核心技術攻堅戰，並支持北京、上海、粵港澳大灣區形成國際科技創新中心。
在事關國家安全和發展全局的基礎核心領域，制定實施戰略性科學計劃和科學工程。瞄準人工智能、量子信息、集成電路、生命健康、腦科學、生物育種、空天科技、深地深海等前沿領域，實施具有前瞻性、戰略性的國家重大科技項目。
加強基礎研究 搶佔產業先機
加強基礎研究方面，制定實施基礎研究十年行動方案，重點布局基礎學科研究中心。同時，加大基礎研究財政投入力度，基礎研究經費投入佔研發經費投入比重提高至8%以上。
綱要第9章提到，着眼搶佔未來產業發展先機，培育先導性和支柱性產業，推動戰略性新興產業融合化、集群化、生態化發展，戰略性新興產業增加值佔GDP比重超過17%。
國家發改委指十三五（2016至2020年）期間，2019年戰略新興產業增加值佔GDP比重11.5%，比2014年提高3.9個百分點。
綱要提出，聚焦新一代信息技術、生物技術、新能源、新材料、高端裝備、新能源汽車、綠色環保及航空航天、海洋裝備等戰略性新興產業，加快關鍵核心技術創新應用，增強要素保障能力，培育壯大產業發展新動能。
預防金融風險 違法行為零容忍
此外，綱要第53章提出，強化國家經濟安全保障，實施糧食、能源、金融3大領域安全戰略。
金融安全方面，要健全金融風險預防、預警、處置、問責制度體系，對違法違規行為零容忍。完善宏觀審慎管理體系，保持宏觀槓桿率以穩為主、穩中有降。
糧食方面，要確保口糧絕對安全、穀物基本自給、重要農副產品供應充足；開展種源「卡脖子」技術攻關，提高良種自主可控能力。能源安全則要增強能源持續穩定供應和風險管控能力，實現煤炭供應安全兜底、油氣核心需求依靠自保、電力供應穩定可靠。
綱要14次提「粵港澳」 挺港建國際創科中心
「粵港澳大灣區」已連續5年寫進政府工作報告。關係國家未來5年發展的「十四五」（2021至2025年）規劃綱要中，也14次提到「粵港澳」一詞，「積極穩妥推進粵港澳大灣區建設」被納入「深入實施區域重大戰略」的章節中。
便利港澳青年北上 就學創業
科技創新方面，綱要提出，支持大灣區形成國際科創中心，建設大灣區綜合性國家科學中心。加強粵港澳產學研協同發展，完善廣深港、廣珠澳科技創新走廊，和深港河套、粵澳橫琴科技創新極點的「兩廊兩點」架構體系，擴大內地與港澳專業資格互認範圍，便利港澳青年到大灣區內地城市就學、就業、創業等。此外，將完善便利港澳居民在內地發展和生活居住的措施。
建設交通網方面，綱要提到，要加快城際鐵路建設，統籌港口和機場功能布局，優化航運和航空資源配置。深化通關模式改革，促進人員、貨物、車輛便捷高效流動。
綱要表示，支持港澳鞏固提升競爭優勢，支持香港提升國際金融、航運、貿易中心和國際航空樞紐地位，強化全球離岸人民幣業務樞紐、國際資產管理中心及風險管理中心功能。支持香港建設國際創新科技中心、亞太區國際法律及解決爭議服務中心、區域知識產權貿易中心，支持香港服務業向高端高增值方向發展，支持香港發展中外文化藝術交流中心。
粵籌建大灣區大學 助應對「卡脖子」問題
為配合國家支持大灣區形成國際科創中心，廣東省正籌備建立一所全新理工為主的大學--大灣區大學。校園選址東莞，預計2023年開課。東莞官員形容，大學任務之一是配合國家應對技術被「卡脖子（掐住要害）」的問題。
大灣區大學為省級大學，廣東省政府2019年規劃籌建，以實踐《粵港澳大灣區發展規劃綱要》提及「支持粵港澳高校合作辦學，鼓勵聯合共建優勢學科、實驗室和研究中心」的要求。該大學將設於東莞，分濱海灣及松山湖兩個校區。兩校區規模預計約100萬平方米，總投資約100億元人民幣。
理工為主 料2023年東莞開課
東莞市教育局局長葉淦奎指，大灣區大學預計2023年投入使用，其定位為以理工科為主的高水平新型、研究型大學，致力培養高端科技人才，以提升大灣區科創產業競爭力。
他形容，東莞將以大灣區大學為中心構建覆蓋「前沿基礎研究、應用基礎研究、產業技術研究、科技成果轉化」的科創產業鏈條，着力突破限制中國產業發展的「卡脖子」技術問題。
據報，大灣區大學開展本科生、碩士及博士研究生的全日制學歷教育，預計2023年招生，到2030年在校生達1萬人左右，本科生與研究生比例達1：1左右。
資料來源：香港經濟日報 (2021年3月15日)
7、UNIQLO緬甸廠房遭縱火
(星島日報報道)緬甸中資工廠周日遭打砸搶燒引起各界震驚，同一天，日本時尚品牌優衣庫（UNIQLO）母公司在緬甸的廠房也被人縱火。
日本企業迅銷零售公司周二表示，該公司設在緬甸境內的兩個廠房遭人縱火。共同社報道，縱火案發生在十四日（周日）。迅銷持有的品牌包括優衣庫，該公司一名代表通過電郵向路透社確認，被波及的兩家工廠專門生產優衣庫服裝。中國駐緬甸大使館日前發布消息稱，周日下午，仰光萊達雅工業區多家中資工廠遭不法分子打砸搶燒，有員工一度被困。在中資工廠遇襲後，中方已指示位於緬甸的國企撤離非必要人員。
「緬甸援助政治犯協會」昨日表示，在一連數周反政變抗議行動中，共有一百八十三名群眾遭到安全部隊射殺。這個團體說，周一遇害的群眾至少有二十人，周日則有七十四人喪生。對此，美國國務院發言人波特抨擊：「緬甸軍政府以子彈回應人民恢復民主的呼聲……這些手段提醒我們，緬甸軍方發動政變是為了他們的自私目的，不是為了反映人民的意願」。
資料來源：星島日報 (2021年3月17日)
8、China tells state firms in Myanmar to evacuate non-essential staff
State firm source says they were given the instructions after attacks on Chinese-owned factories in Yangon on Sunday
Situation is tense and almost all Chinese projects have stopped, sources say
China has told its state firms to evacuate non-essential staff from Myanmar after dozens of Chinese-run factories were attacked on the weekend amid rising anti-China sentiment, according to sources within the companies.
In a notice seen by the South China Morning Post, the State Council’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (Sasac) ordered state-owned enterprises in Myanmar to evacuate staff involved in projects that had come to a halt.
Other staff to be pulled out of the country include those who have reached the end of their rotations, workers who have not yet been inoculated against the coronavirus, employees living on remote sites and those facing serious local situations, according to the notice.
One state construction firm employee working on an infrastructure project in Myanmar confirmed that he had received the instructions from Sasac, which oversees 90 national-level SOEs in China.
“We received it over the weekend when some Chinese-invested factories were attacked,” said the source, who requested anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media
“In fact, almost all projects have already stopped here. We are discussing who shall stay back to watch developments. I think most of us will head home as nothing much can be done.”
In the notice, Sasac also ordered all SOEs in Myanmar to carry out emergency drills, making sure they had enough vehicles, fuel, food and other necessities for an evacuation.
A second state-firm source, who is involved in hydropower projects, also said he had received the instructions and the firm was already sending “non-essential staff” back to China.
“The colleagues who have been evacuated have reached China safely. Staff here in Myanmar have been told to stay in our compound, except to buy food and water,” he said.
“All the banks are closed, we have to find cash to buy supplies.
“We have to rely on our land lines to contact the embassy because the mobile networks keep cutting out. The situation is quite tense.”
A Sasac spokesman declined to comment on the evacuation plan, and multiple phone calls to the Chinese embassy in Yangon went unanswered.
Beijing’s evacuation order to its SOEs came shortly after 32 Chinese-invested factories in an industrial zone in Myanmar’s commercial capital Yangon were reportedly attacked and burned by armed mobs, resulting in 240 million yuan (US$37 million) in property losses. Two Chinese workers were wounded in the attack, according to Chinese media reports.
China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that China had no plan to evacuate SOE personnel from Myanmar.
It said China was following the situation in Myanmar closely and attached great importance to the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel.
“China expects relevant parties in Myanmar to take practical measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens in Myanmar,” it said.
The attacks on Sunday occurred on the same day as government troops opened fire on protesters, reportedly killing more than 39 people. It was one of the deadliest days since the February 1 military coup that overthrew the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
Despite the bloodshed, hundreds of thousands of protesters continued to demonstrate on the streets daily, demanding a return to democracy. Demonstrators have also massed outside the Chinese embassy in Yangon in recent weeks, calling on Beijing to condemn the coup. Beijing has said that it was not aware of the coup before it happened, and that it is not backing the military junta.
Source: www.scmp.com (16 Mar 2021)
9、After Myanmar’s Bloody Weekend, Garment Sourcing Is Very Risky Business
Myanmar spiraled further into violence and chaos over the weekend in Yangon, the Southeast Asian nation’s largest city, after security forces killed at least 22 anti-coup protestors and dozens of Chinese-financed factories were vandalized and torched amid a wave of rising anti-Chinese sentiment.
Another 16 protestors were killed elsewhere, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, along with one policeman, marking Myanmar’s deadliest day since a Feb. 1 coup ousted de facto head of state Aung San Suu Kyi and returned the country to full military control. Local media reported that martial law has been declared in the Yangon townships of North Dagon, South Dagon, Dagon Seikkand, North Okkalapa, Hlaing Thar Yar and Shwepyitha, meaning that protestors there can now be tried in military courts.
The Chinese embassy in Myanmar said two Chinese workers were injured after unidentified assailants burned and damaged 32 Chinese-funded factories, causing property losses of roughly 240 million yuan ($38 million). It also called on the country to take action to protect Chinese property and citizens.
“China urges Myanmar to take further effective measures to stop all acts of violence, punish the perpetrators in accordance with the law and ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel in Myanmar,” it said in a statement.
While it is unclear who was responsible for the attacks on the factories, protestors believe that Beijing, which has refused to outrightly condemn the coup, is lending support to the ruling junta. Chinese state media had previously referred to the detention of civilian leaders as a “cabinet reshuffle” and an “adjustment to the country’s dysfunctional power structure.”
“China says the attacks were well planned, with the vandals arriving on motorbikes with weapons and petrol,” wrote Michael Bristow, BBC World Service’s East Asia editor, in an analysis Monday. “Some protesters have denied they were involved. But there is widespread anti-China sentiment in Myanmar because of a belief that Beijing is helping the military government there.”
While China presents itself as an “honest broker that supports neither side,” Bristow added, such a stance is not an acceptable one for protesters.
Grim outlook for garments
The chaos has sent shockwaves through Myanmar’s garment sector, an economic tentpole that employs some 700,000 workers, most of them women, and generated $4.8 billion in exports last year, according to the Ministry of Commerce. As calls for an extended work stoppage grew last week, H&M, which works with 56 supplier factories in Myanmar, announced a temporary suspension of new orders from the nation, citing “practical difficulties and an unpredictable situation limiting our ability to operate in the country, including challenges related to manufacturing and infrastructure, raw material imports and transport of finished goods.”
On Friday, Benetton Group, which owns United Colors of Benetton, Playlife and Sisley, followed suit, expressing its “deepest concerns” about safety issues and violations of rights and freedom.
“Over the years, Benetton Group has been a standard-bearer for fundamental values such as inclusiveness, integration, and non-violence,” CEO Massimo Renon said in a statement. “As a company, we cannot fail to contribute to the respect of these values and we intend to do our part. We will suspend orders to the country to send a strong and concrete signal.”
Myanmar suppliers account for 2 percent of Benetton Group’s production chain, according to the Italian company’s website.
“Our hope is that the situation returns, as soon as possible, to one that guarantees the people’s fundamental rights and that our group may once again resume its action of supporting the local populations, that also involves promoting work and dignity,” Renon added.
Two of Bestseller’s suppliers in Yangon were rocked by the attacks, though no one was injured “in relation to this,” Morten Norlyk, a spokesman for the Danish retailer, which works with 36 garment factories in the country, told Sourcing Journal. “No persons were injured in relation to this,” he added. “We are in an ongoing dialogue with all our suppliers and we are naturally concerned about the development.”
Primark, which sources from 21 factories in Myanmar, is also taking a wait-and-see approach, with no current plans to change its sourcing strategy.
“Our highest priority is to keep workers safe and well, and ensuring their rights and freedoms are respected; these are outlined in Primark’s code of conduct, which we require all suppliers and factories that make our garments to adhere to at all times,” a spokesperson told Sourcing Journal. “We are in regular contact with our suppliers and our employees on the ground in Myanmar and are closely monitoring the situation.”
The Ireland-based chain also said Monday that it is investigating reports that GY Sen, a supplier that employs 1,000 workers in Yangon, locked the doors of its factory to prevent them from joining the civil disobedience movement. Workers told The Guardian that 20 were later fired for missing shifts to participate in anti-coup protests. Primark said it won’t be placing further orders with the factory until the inquiry is complete.
“We will work with our supplier and, where required, other trusted third parties,” the spokesperson said. “If the factory is found to have breached our code [of conduct], we will work with the supplier and factory to remediate any issues.”
A spokesperson from Adidas, which works with six suppliers, echoed that sentiment, noting that the sportswear giant is “in close exchange with other brands, industry associations and civil society organizations about the current situation.”
With a coup comes consequences
With the coup showing no signs of resolution, the United States continues to dial up the pressure on the Myanmar military.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) implemented new restrictions on exports and reexports to Myanmar, which it refers to by its former name of Burma, and transfers within the country, of sensitive items subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) “in response to the military coup and escalating violence against peaceful protesters.”
In a further blow to the country, BIS has moved Burma from Country Group B to Country Group D:1, restricting certain exports and reexports without a special waiver. BIS has also added the Burmese Ministries of Defence and Home Affairs, the Myanmar Economic Corporation, and the Myanmar Economic Holding Limited to the Entity List, which prohibits them from receiving some or all items subject to the EAR without a license.
“The United States remains fully committed to the people of Burma, and strongly condemns violence by the Burmese military against peaceful protesters,” BIS wrote. “We will not allow the Burmese military to continue to benefit from access to items subject to the EAR. Commerce is reviewing potential additional measures as warranted by the military’s actions. The U.S. government will continue to hold perpetrators of the coup responsible for their actions.”
Analysts say that these developments could discourage foreign brands—already on tenterhooks after a 2019 United Nations report disclosed ties of garment factories to the Burmese junta—from further investing in Myanmar for fear of potential hits to their reputation.
“This would effectively reverse a trend to move labor-intensive work from China to Myanmar in recent years that has taken advantage of lower wages despite less developed infrastructure,” said Mirko Woitzik, manager EMEA, intelligence solutions, at Everstream Analytics, which measures and monitors supply-chain risks. “The developments could also accelerate a decision by the European Commission to revoke trade privileges—a move it has considered since 2018—that include preferential access to the [European Union] market, which would affect the garment and shoemaking sectors.”
There’s one minor reprieve, however. While more targeted sanctions are likely on their way, Wotizik doubts that the U.S. or the EU will adopt widespread actions that will cause irrecoverable damage to Myanmar’s economy as a whole “in an effort to not push the country closer to strategic rivals such as China.”
Logistics in the lurch
The turmoil, however, has all but crippled the logistics networks that are the arteries of the apparel supply chain. Roughly 95 percent of the country’s trade is conducted by sea, which means that connections through the ports of Thilawa and Yangon are vital to Myanmar’s economic functions. Already, thousands of striking truck drivers have throttled the delivery of imports, leading to cargo-container pileups and prompting shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd to hit pause on any import bookings into Myanmar.
“If the uncertainty around the coup lingers on in the coming days, [other] carriers could temporarily omit port calls to Myanmar, cutting off a crucial connection which is mainly used by smaller vessels that carry containers to Singapore for consolidation and onward carriage,” Wotizik said. “Companies with an interest in Myanmar should keep abreast of the latest developments and anticipate delays to both logistics and manufacturing operations in the coming weeks. Due to the volatile situation and given their access to first-hand information on the ground, it is also recommended to get in touch with local suppliers and carriers to assess their business continuity plans.”
No room to be wrong on workers’ rights
The Clean Clothes Campaign, the garment industry’s largest consortium of labor unions and non-governmental organizations, said in early March that companies sourcing from Myanmar must ensure that workers’ rights to peaceful protest are respected without discrimination or penalization and that trade union representatives are neither victimized nor targeted.
“Brands and retailers must condemn the military’s announcement declaring illegal labor-rights organizations and prohibiting them to continue their activities,” it wrote in a statement. “They must also voice and show their support for freedom of association and ensure their direct and indirect suppliers respect these principles.”
Jason Judd, executive director of the New Conversations Project at Cornell University, said that buyers and suppliers have to “make good” on their obligations to the most basic rights of workers.
“Buyers did little about the slow-motion coup in Cambodia over the last few years, and some cut production workers loose in the Covid crisis,” Judd told Sourcing Journal. “In Myanmar, buyers can make good on their obligation to back the workers making their products in ways the buyers can control—communication with their suppliers, orders, supplier finance, emergency income for workers—and via their governments’ trade and human rights policies.”
Another big question, he said, is what kinds of conversations do buyers have with governments in the years or months before tensions reach this kind of boiling point.
“Without clear and substantive messages from buyers about progress on freedom of association or wages, for example, years’ worth of orders are implicit endorsements of a government and industry’s approaches to these issues,” Judd said.
Myanmar, Khaing Zar, president of the Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar, told Sourcing Journal, has descended into a “situation of instability.”
“Brands are thinking: should they give the orders or not?” she said. “Suppliers are wondering: should they take the orders or not. We have to sustain the business in Myanmar in the garment sector, that is why we have to fight the military government. Fighting for democracy is the main thing, but this is also important.”
Addressing the danger of just venturing out to the street, Zar added that, “[w]orkers can be killed anytime.”
“People are aware they can be shot. But we need to bring back the democracy,” she continued. “From 2010 to 2021 during the democratization of Myanmar, we have seen freedom—not total freedom but we have seen it. So, we can compare, the military and freedom. Even though people are afraid they want to fight for that.”
Both that fear and the fight are clearly reflected through the workers in the garment industry, many of whom have been taking time off from work to join the protests.
“It’s very clear from the conversations that I have had directly with unions and workers, the concern about the chilling effect it is having on workers,” said Thulsi Narayanasamy, senior labor rights lead at the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre.
“What we’ve heard directly from workers and unions in Myanmar the last few weeks is the military is going from door-to-door with lists of unionized workers’ names,” she said, noting the” huge amount of violence against the workers and the union leaders are having to be in hiding,” which has “a chilling effect on workers.”
“So, I guess on the flip side of that: What have the brands done?” she asked, raising a point for the global market.
“We’re really disappointed with the lack of response from the brands,” Narayanasamy said. “H&M and Benetton have temporarily suspended further orders in Myanmar but the desire from the labor movement is for those brand —and for others who might follow suit and also suspend production—to not do that unless they’re going to be very clear and explicit in making a statement of support for workers freedom of association and freedom of assembly.
“They can also call on their suppliers to protect workers who desire to take a part in the anti-coup protest. We have not seen any brands make strong explicit statement[s] to that effect,” she added.
Echoes of Xinjiang?
Kate Larsen, lead consultant at SupplyESChange, says she sees parallels between the situation in Myanmar and that of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where millions of Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Muslim minorities are being subjected to a campaign of repression and subjugation that experts have described as tantamount to genocide.
Global trade union IndustriAll’s guidance to Myanmar-sourcing brands to “ensure there are no business or investment relationships in their supply chains with companies owned by and linked to the military,” she said, is similar to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s original detention order on all cotton imports from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a paramilitary organization known to employ Uyghurs in forced labor.
“Companies should make sure that other business activities and suppliers do not contribute to human-rights abuses and that workers and trade unionists are not punished for participating in protests and strikes against the coup,” she said. “[They] should condemn the killings and use of violence, and use their leverage, as the [UN Guiding Principles] expect, to influence business partners to also condemn and call for an end to the violence and human rights abuses.”
Source: www.sourcingjournal.com (15 Mar 2021)
10、How Has COVID-19 Affected Apparel Exports from China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh?
During the pandemic, three factors are most relevant to a country’s apparel export performance: government lockdown measures, textile raw material access, and comprehensive export competitiveness. Against these three factors, apparel producers and exporters in China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh face common but differentiated business challenges and opportunities during the pandemic (see the table above).
China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh all suffered an unprecedented (nearly 30% year over year) drop in their apparel exports to the world in 2020 (Q1-Q3) due to COVID-19. This result mirrored the reduced import demand in the world’s major apparel consumer markets, where the local economies were also hit hard by the pandemic, including the US (down 2.3%), the EU (down 4.3%), and Japan (down 4.8%).
However, the three countries’ export performance is most different in the US market—China’s apparel exports dropped by 31.6%, much steeper than Vietnam (down 6.9%) and Bangladesh (down 12.6%). It seems that even though COVID-19 may favor China as an apparel sourcing base from an economic perspective, US fashion companies have given more weight to non-economic factors, such as the outlook of the trade war, in their sourcing decisions involving China.
COVID-19 had disrupted apparel exporters’ regular production and export schedule in 2020. The lockdown measures in these three countries seem to affect their export seasonal pattern most significantly. For example, as the first country hit by COVID-19, China’s apparel exports were at the bottom from February to April 2020; however, China’s apparel exports recovered quickly since May 2020 when factories resumed production. In comparison, apparel exports from Vietnam and Bangladesh were at their lowest level from April to May and May to June 2020, respectively, when their factories had to close.
Additionally, Bangladesh’s apparel export seasonality had experienced a more dramatic change in 2020 than in China and Vietnam. A possible reason behind the phenomenon is the export product structure. Notably, China and Vietnam export a more diverse range of products, whereas apparel exports from Bangladesh concentrate on basic fashion items.
Industry sources also indicate that between February 2020 and February 2021, US apparel imports from China and Vietnam see a significant structural change—they include more COVID-popular items such as sweaters, smock dresses, and sweatpants, and fewer dresses, shirts, and suits. However, over the same period, the product structure of US apparel imports from Bangladesh barely changed, and they also included few COVID-popular categories mentioned above. In other words, despite order cancellations, garment factories in China and Vietnam seem more likely to receive new sourcing orders than their counterparts in Bangladesh because of advantages in production flexibility and agility.
Further, China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh all turned less diversified in their apparel export market during the pandemic. Notably, the US, EU, and Japan have become more critical export markets ever. Compared with fashion companies’ efforts in sourcing diversification, it could be more challenging for garment-producing countries to diversify their export market during the pandemic.
Source: www.shenglufashion.com (17 Mar 2021)
11、H&M Sales Slide 27% as More Stores Emerge from Lockdowns
H&M Group has revealed its provisional first-quarter results, and while it appears the fast-fashion giant still faces hurdles aplenty, it is finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Quarterly net sales fell 27 percent from a year earlier, or 21 percent measured in local currencies, to 40 billion Swedish kronor ($4.7 billion). The numbers did surpass estimates from analysts polled by Refinitiv, which on average predicted a 30 percent net sales decline, but are worse than the company’s fourth quarter, in which sales fell 15 percent to 52.6 billion Swedish kronor ($6.3 billion).
The second quarter is off to a much better start, with sales from March 1-13 increasing by 10 percent in local currencies on year-over-year basis.
The Swedish retailer was one of many fashion chains battered by the continued lockdowns throughout Europe, with more than 1,800 of its approximately 5,000 stores being shuttered at one point during the first quarter. By the end of the period on Feb. 28, around 1,300 stores remained temporarily closed, as a number of markets gradually allowed stores to reopen.
By March 13, approximately 900 stores were closed, with Germany being the main market reopening nonessential retail.
H&M said that amid the store closures, online sales have continued to develop “very well,” but the company did not give a hard figure or an estimate of how much growth took place. In the prior quarter, online sales grew 50 percent. For all of 2020, online sales jumped 38 percent in local currencies, representing 28 percent of H&M’s total sales for the full year.
On March 31, the retailer will reveal its full report for three-month earnings between Dec. 1, 2020 and Feb. 28, 2021. The company did not give an earnings estimate, but anticipates a loss in the quarter after the pandemic slashed 2020 profits by nearly 91 percent to $149.2 million.
Chief competitor Inditex, the parent company of Zara, saw its own net income drop nearly 70 percent, but still managed to pull in approximately $1.3 billion. H&M has Inditex beat in March so far when it comes to sales growth as stores reopen. While H&M was up 10 percent during March 1-13, Inditex sales remained down 4 percent from March 1-7.
To close 2020, H&M reaffirmed its plans to shutter 350 stores while opening 100 this year, and said it will increase digital investments to foster online-offline integration. Most closures will affect established markets, while new stores will arrive in growth markets.
The group, which operates Cos, Monki, & Other Stories, Arket and Weekday in addition to H&M, has been cutting costs and renegotiating leases for its retail network since the pandemic struck. Last year, it closed 187 stores and opened 129.
In the near term, the fast-fashion giant will have a go at it without garments sourced in Myanmar, where upwards of 60 people have been killed in a series of deadly crackdowns against protestors since a Feb. 1 coup returned the country to full military control.
H&M, which works with 56 supplier factories in the country, said it won’t be placing new garment orders “at this point,” noting that its ability to conduct business in the country has been hampered by the challenges related to manufacturing and infrastructure, raw material imports and the transportation of finished goods.
Serkan Tanka, H&M group country manager, Myanmar, said the retailer will continue to take full delivery of and pay for all already placed orders.
H&M has not given guidance for 2021, but says that it plans to increase sales in local currencies by 10 to 15 percent each year.
Source: www.sourcingjournal.com (15 Mar 2021)
12、Gap Inc. Sets New Goals to Empower Women in Its Supply Chain
Gap Inc.’s, the parent company of Gap, Old Navy, Athleta and more, is on course to impact the lives of more than one million women and girls through supply-chain vendor and community partnerships by 2022.
The company announced Monday that more than 800,000 women and girls have completed its Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) program since it was founded in 2007. Operating in 17 countries where its clothing is made, P.A.C.E. was developed to give women the foundational life skills, technical training and support that will help them advance in the workplace and in their personal lives.
In 2019, Gap Inc. enhanced the program with the addition of Empower@Work, a related program developed in partnership with labor organizations Business for Social Responsibility, ILO-IFC Better Work and CARE, formed to promote the sharing of knowledge, skills and networks.
The effects of the global pandemic, particularly the high rate of women losing their jobs worldwide, is driving Gap Inc. to double down on new commitments to foster women empowerment and set new goals for 2025. Gap Inc. is committed to have 100 percent of its strategic factories (facilities representing 80 percent of its total sourcing volume) participate in Empower@Work, and for all of its strategic factories to achieve gender parity at the supervisor level. This means the gender ratio of workers will be the same as the gender ratio of supervisors.
The company’s Gap and Athleta brands have committed 100 percent of their factories to participating in Empower@Work by 2025.
Gap Inc. will also set up gender-equitable workplace committees at all strategic factories and gender-based violence prevention and response training programs at all factories.
Achieving these goals, which are supported by Gap Inc.’s Supplier Sustainability programs, will rely on longstanding collaborations with expert stakeholders to support gender equity in the apparel supply chain.
“Our goal of achieving gender equity at the supervisor level in all of our strategic factories will be driven by our Supervisory Skills Training program. Similarly, our goal of having workers’ voices being heard through gender-equitable and representative workplace committees will be managed through our Workplace Cooperation program,” the company stated.
Both programs were developed in partnership with ILO-IFC Better Work.
Gap Inc.’s focus on women’s rights is reflected in a new collection of three limited-edition T-shirts with feminist slogans. The company will donate $25,000 to non-profit Girls Inc., which serves girls from ages 6-18 across 1,500 sites in the U.S. and Canada, providing them with educational programming and mentorship to support their mental and emotional growth and development.
Source: www.sourcingjournal.com (17 Mar 2021)
13、Fabric that can display messages developed by Chinese scientists
Scientists from Shanghai’s Fudan University working on clothing with electronic functions that is foldable and washable recently made a breakthrough
They examined the structure of textiles, and developed luminescent and conductive yarns that, woven together with cotton, light up where they intersect
At first glance, the fabric looks like a pretty, if not especially original scarf, with turquoise, blue and orange stripes in an open weave. But this fabric can communicate. It’s wearable, foldable and washable, but it’s also a fully functioning display – capable of flashing messages or images, or even being used with a keyboard.
The fabric, described in a study in the journal Nature, is the work of a team led by Huisheng Peng, a professor in the department of macromolecular engineering at Shanghai’s Fudan University.
He believes it could revolutionise communication and “help individuals with voice, speech or language difficulties to express themselves to others”. “We hope that woven-fibre materials will shape next-generation electronics by changing the way we interact with electronic devices,” he said.
Wearable electronics have advanced significantly in recent years, and clothing incorporating electronic functions including super-thin displays is already available. Another study published this week, for example, describes a wearable microgrid powered by the sweat of the wearer. But there are limitations to most existing products.
They are often made by attaching or weaving thin film light-emitting devices to fabrics, resulting in a material that is not breathable or very flexible. They are also often fragile and prone to damage, and in the past were only able to display predetermined patterns.
Peng and his colleagues have spent a decade thinking about ways to improve existing technology, experimenting with different materials. One option they formulated did not display well in the dark, while another fibre they came up with did not perform when it was woven.
The breakthrough came after examining the structure of textiles and the way threads intersect with each other in the warp and weft of a woven piece. The team decided to try to create minuscule points of light where the fibres of a woven cloth meet.
To make these tiny dots of light, they needed a luminescent warp and a conductive weft that could be woven together with cotton or similar fibres.
After testing different combinations, they settled on a silver-plated yarn warp coated with luminescent composite, and a conductive weft spun from a kind of gel. The two materials were woven with cotton into a piece of fabric six metres long and 25 centimetres wide.
Applying an electrical current caused the layer on the silver-plated yarn to light up where it was in contact with the conductive gel fibre. The amount of power needed to light up the display material was limited, producing no significant heating, the authors say, and the fabric survived a number of stress tests.
It was left in the open air for a month, put through 100 wash-and-dry cycles and folded 10,000 times, all without losing brightness. The study says the fabric can be powered with batteries or even use solar energy. But what purpose might it serve?
Peng sees a variety of options, including a dynamic sleeve display that could, for example, allow a driver to view a GPS map on their arm as they move around. But he is hopeful the material could also help people overcome difficulty communicating because of health problems or language barriers.
In one experiment with the fabric, they collected brainwaves from volunteers who had either been playing a racing car game or meditating – simulating a person in a stressed or relaxed state. When paired with a processor, the waves could then be translated into messages displayed on the fabric reading either “relaxed” or “anxious”.
Peng said there were several improvements to the fabric the team would now work on, including making the display brighter, the resolution clearer, and the luminescent points available in more colours.
Source: www.scmp.com (13 Mar 2021)
14、YKK emissions reduction targets gain SBTi approval
Fastener manufacturer YKK Corporation's emissions reduction targets have been approved by the independent Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as consistent with levels required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement – limiting global warming to well-below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius……
Read More: https://www.just-style.com/news/ykk-emissions-reduction-targets-gain-sbti-approval_id140959.aspx
Source: www.just-style.com (16 Mar 2021)