Heiwai TANG
Prof. Heiwai TANG
经济学
Associate Dean (External Relations)
Victor and William Fung Professor in Economics (冯国经冯国纶基金教授 (经济学))
Director, Asia Global Institute
Director, APEC Study Center
Associate Director, Hong Kong Institute of Economics and Business Strategy

3917 0029
3917 4388

MB 335/ KK 920

Academic & Professional Qualification
  • PhD: MIT
  • Bachelor: UCLA
Biography

Heiwai Tang is Victor and William Fung Professor in Economics, Director of the Asia Global Institute and HKU APEC Study Center, as well as the Associate Director Institute of China Economy and the Hong Kong Institute of Economics and Business Strategy at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Prior to joining HKU, he was tenured Associate Professor of International Economics at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University. He is also affiliated with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (U.S.), the Center of Economic Studies and Ifo Institute (CESIfo, Germany), the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (Germany) and the Globalization and Economic Policy Center (U.K.) as a research fellow. He has been a consultant to the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the United Nations, and the Asian Development Bank; and held visiting positions at the IMF, Stanford, MIT, Harvard. He is currently an associate editor of the Journal of International Economics, the Journal of Comparative Economics and the China Economic Review. Since 2021, he has served on a number of public bodies, including the Currency Board Sub-Committee of the HKMA’s Exchange Fund Advisory Committee and the Minimum Wage Commission in Hong Kong.

Heiwai holds a Ph.D. in economics from MIT and a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from UCLA. His research interests span a wide range of theoretical and empirical topics in international trade, with a specific focus on production networks, global value chains, and China. His research has been published in leading journals in economics, including American Economic Review and Journal of International Economics. His research and opinions have been covered by BBC, Financial Times, New York Times, Al Jazeera, Foreign Policy, South China Morning Post, and various think tanks such as the Brookings Institution and the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Teaching

Columbia-LBS-HKU EMBA: The New World Order

HKU-PKU DBA: Frontiers in Economics Research

Fudan-HKU IMBA: The New World Order

HKU: Undergraduate Common Core – China in the Global Economy; MBA – Global Economy; Master of Economics – Economic Policy

Research Interest

International Trade, Global Value Chains, Development Economics

Selected Publications
  • “Trade Networks and Firm Value: Evidence from the US-China Trade War,” Journal of International Economics, forthcoming. (with Yi Huang, Chen Lin, and Sibo Liu)
  • “Currency Carry Trade by Trucks: The Curious Case of China’s Massive Imports from Itself”, Review of Finance, 27(2), March 2023, pp. 469–493. (with Xuepeng Liu, Zhi Wang, and Shang-Jin Wei)
  • “Do Multinationals Transfer Culture? Evidence on Female Employment in China”, Journal of International Economics, 133, Nov 2021, 103518. (with Yifan Zhang)
  • “Domestic Segment of Global Value Chains in China under State Capitalism”, Journal of Comparative Economics, 48(4), Dec 2020, pp. 797-821. (with Fei Wang and Zhi Wang)
  • “Why is China Investing in Africa? Evidence from the Firm Level”, World Bank Economic Review, 32(3), Oct 2018, pp. 610-632. (with Wenjie Chen and David Dollar)
  • “Are Foreign Firms Favored in China? Firm-level Evidence on the Collection of Value-Added Tax”, Journal of International Business Policy, 1(2), Inaugural Issue, Jun 2018, pp. 71-91. (with Yasheng Huang)
  • “Domestic Value Added in Exports: Theory and Firm Evidence from China”, American Economic Review, 106(6), Jun 2016, pp. 1402-1436. (with Hiau Looi Kee)
  • “Learning to Export from Neighbors”, Journal of International Economics, 94(1), Sep 2014, pp. 67-84. (with Ana Fernandes)
  • “Factor Intensity, Product Switching, and Productivity: Evidence from Chinese Exporters”, Journal of International Economics, 92(2), Mar 2014, pp. 349-362. (with Yue Ma and Yifan Zhang)
  • “International Politics and Import Diversification”, Journal of Law and Economics, 56(4), Nov 2013, pp. 1091-1121. (with Sergey Mityakov and Kevin Tsui)
  • “Determinants of Vertical Integration in Export Processing: Theory and Evidence from China”, Journal of Development Economics, 99(2), Nov 2012, pp. 396-414. (with Ana Fernandes)
  • “Labor Market Institutions, Firm-specific Skills, and Trade Patterns”, Journal of International Economics, 87(2), Jul 2012, pp. 337-351.
Awards and Honours
  • APEC Study Center Financial Support from the HKSAR Government, PI, HKD 2,500,000, 2022-2027
  • HKU Knowledge Exchange Grant, PI, HKD 497,000, 2023
  • Hong Kong RGC Grant, Co-PI, HKD 418,975, 2022-2024
  • Committee of 100 Next Generation Leader, 2018
  • Richard Paul Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy Grant, Columbia University, Co-PI, USD 14,500.
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada Insight Grant, Co-Investigator, CAD 78,736
  • Student-Elected Best Professor of the Master of International Econ and Finance Program, JHU SAIS, 2016-2017
  • Alcoa Foundation Grant, Co-PI, USD 500,000, 2016-2019
  • Hong Kong RGC Grant, Co-PI, HKD 364,378, 2017-2019
  • Outstanding Referee Journal of International Economics, 2014-2017.
  • Hong Kong RGC Grant, Co-PI, HKD 336,462, 2011-2013
  • The Nuffield Foundation Social Science Grant, SGS/36581, Co-PI, £12,000, 2009-2011
  • MIT Presidential Fellowship, 2002-2003
Service to the University/Community
  • Securities and Futures Appeals Tribunal of the HKSAR government, member, 2023 –
  • Panel of Arbitrators of the Labour Relations Ordinance, HKSAR, member, 2023 –
  • Insurance Authority in Hong Kong SAR, Member of the Industry Advisory Committee, 2022 –
  • Telecommunications Appeal Board of the HKSAR Government, Member, 2022 –
  • Currency Board Sub-Committee of the HKMA Exchange Fund Advisory Committee, Member, 2021-
  • Minimum Wage Commission in Hong Kong SAR, Member, 2021 –
  • Pacific Economic Review, Managing Editor, 2022 –
  • Journal of International Economics, Associate Editor, 2019 – 2022
  • China Economic Review, Associate Editor, 2018 –
  • Journal of Comparative Economics, Associate Editor, 2017 – 2023
  • China Economics Summer Institute, Academic Committee Member, 2017 –
  • International Finance Corporation (IFC), Consultant, 2017 –
  • United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Consultant, 2016 – 2017
  • Asian Development Bank, Consultant, 2016 – 2017
  • IMF, Research Department, Visiting Scholar, 2015 – 2016
  • World Bank, Consultant, 2013 – 2017
Recent Publications
【时事全方位】香港经济预测

港大经管学院早前公布2024年第三季本港经济的预测,对于略显低迷的消费气氛,港大经管学院副院长及亚洲环球研究所总监邓希炜教授,于接受Now新闻的访问时指出,投资和消费信心是关键。「受财富效应影响,由于短期内股市和楼市状况形成负面的财富效应,市民投资和消费的信心自然不高,长远而言要视乎政府三年内的经济转型政策,提供新的经济增长点。」

人口老化致储蓄率高, 中国经济仍有增长潜力

过去45年,中国经济年均增长率超过8%,拥有庞大的国内市场,但其消费仅占GDP的39%,为全球最低之一。中国能否维持6%或7%的增长率呢?港大经管学院副院长及亚洲环球研究所总监邓希炜教授认为,中国仍然有经济增长潜力,但由于人口老龄化及民众追求长寿导致高储蓄率,因此目前已变得非常困难。邓教授建议三项关键措施以重整中国经济:改善公共医疗质素及减低医疗开支、促进更多以内需主导的增长,以及为低收入群创造更多就业机会,以解决城乡收入差距问题。

外籍香港永久居民可申回乡证

内地出入境管理局公布,由7月10日起,港澳外籍居民可获签发「港澳居民来往内地通行证(非中国籍)」,港大经管学院副院长(对外事务)邓希炜说,其在港外籍同伴每次到内地工作或演讲,过关手续需时,例如在深圳湾或皇岗口岸,他自己只需一分钟就可入境,外籍同伴却需花约半小时。新措施只适用于香港永久居民,即需住满7年,对于门坎会否太高,邓希炜指今次属第一步,期待日后会有更多放宽政策。

香港下一站──跨国供应链管理中心

香港特区政府致力建构跨国供应链管理中心,作为内地企业与国际市场的「超级联系人」,相信这既是不少人心目中理所当然的目标,而香港亦较其他亚洲港口城市在以下三方面更具有优势与底气:

香港下一站──跨国供应链管理中心

香港特区政府致力建构跨国供应链管理中心,作为内地企业与国际市场的「超级联系人」,相信这既是不少人心目中理所当然的目标,而香港亦较其他亚洲港口城市在以下三方面更具有优势与底气

港竞争力重上第五 星称冠续抛离 经济营商基建改善 政府效率稍降

瑞士洛桑国际管理发展学院(IMD)发布《2024年世界竞争力年报》,香港排名回升至第5位,比去年升2位,当中本港经济表现、营商效率、基础建设均有所改善,政府效率则稍降。至于去年排第三位的新加坡则登上榜首,疫情以来已渐抛离香港,距离更逐年拉阔。有学者认为,香港各行各业在疫情时发展停顿,影响竞争力,未来需增加年轻就业人口及发展具竞争力产业。

邓希炜:港具优势拓新兴产业

世界各地优秀华裔科学家,尤其是来自美国顶尖大学的教授选择回流香港及内地工作,为两地在科学研究、技术创新等多个领域发展注入强劲动力。昨日在「机遇香港」主题采访活动中,香港大学的两位教授,包括经济及工商管理学院副院长(对外事务)邓希炜,以及政治及公共行政学系教授李成,先后从美国转至香港工作,邓希炜聚焦于香港经济结构的转型研究,李成则在促进学者交流和高端智库建设上担任了开创者的角色。二人的到来,不仅是个人职业的重新选择,更是在面对国际环境变化时展现出的适应力、创造力和对中国的深厚情怀,也反映出香港对全球顶级专家的吸引力。

软硬兼施经济动起来

港大经管学院副院长及亚洲环球研究所总监邓希炜教授早前接受访问时指出,香港长远可紧盯三个「路向」,包括推动高附加值工业发展,发挥好连结内地与全球的桥梁作用,以及优化人才培育与引进政策。

【时事全方位】首季本地生产总值

政府公布香港2024首季实质本地生产总值按年增长为2.7%,低于去年同期的4.3%,反映经济增速放缓。港大经管学院副院长及亚洲环球研究所总监邓希炜教授,于接受Now新闻的访问时分析,去年本港首季经济表现强劲,主要受惠于疫后的报复性消费。

No quick fix for city’s aging workforce

Prof. Heiwai Tang, Associate Dean of the HKU Business School and Director of the Asia Global Institute, recently shared insights on this issue with China Daily. Drawing from behavioural economics, Prof. Tang highlighted how short-term factors like childcare access, living environments, and educational costs influence couples' decisions to raise children. He remarked, "With a better living environment, the fertility rate can also be boosted...When young couples feel those short-term issues can be resolved, they may decide to raise children."