If you're from Hong Kong, put that address on your Mileage Plus account (UA) and you aren't subject to the PQD requirement. If you already have a MP account with the NY address on it, then you'll have to prove your residence in HK first to get it changed, but that shouldn't be terribly difficult. If you have a MP account with zero miles in it, then you can just simply make a new one with the HK address and forget the old one.
UA Silver is worth something if you will fly UA to HKG, so it's probably better to focus on that. You'll get free Economy Plus seating for yourself and others on the same PNR, though you can't select it until 24 hours prior to departure, so good seat may be gone already. AV Silver wouldn't be worth anything unless you fly to Latin America on AV.
If this is your last trip this year, then the PQMs aren't worth anything assuming you won't get to the 25k threshold, but if you travel NYC-HKG twice a year, that's Silver on UA easily.
As for a redemption advantage, Lifemiles are generally just as easy to use as Mileage Plus miles, so both would be roughly equal there, just go with whichever gives you more RDM (redeemable miles) if you won't do the twice yearly trip to HKG or won't have other *A flying next year.