SoCal Global
Going Global in Southern California
US Trade Rep: 2010 NATIONAL TRADE ESTIMATE REPORT
May 15th
On March 31, 2010, United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk delivered to Congress the National Trade Estimate Report, required by statute to describe significant barriers to U.S. trade and investment faced in the last year as well as the actions being taken by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to address those barriers. Key barriers noted in this year’s report include the following:CHINA
Industrial Policies: China’s industrial policies limit market access by non-Chinese origin goods by protecting favored sectors and industries, using tools like standards, local content rules, and government procurement regulations. One example involves China’s so-called “indigenous innovation” policies, which, among other things, provide preferences to products containing Chinese-developed IP for government procurement purposes.
Inadequate IPR Enforcement: In China, sales of infringing goods displace legitimate goods, and reduce U.S. access to China’s market and other markets affected by China’s infringing exports. Inadequate IPR enforcement affects a wide range of products, including films, music, publishing, software, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, information technology, consumer goods, industrial goods, food products, medical devices, electrical equipment, automotive parts, clothing and footwear.
Services Restrictions: China maintains prohibitions on foreign participation, restrictive licensing systems, foreign equity limitations, restrictions on scope of business and other measures that limit or block More >
Implications of US Base Move Issues on Broader US-Japan Relations
May 15th
Japan PM scraps US base move plan
Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has said it will not be feasible to entirely remove a controversial US base from the island of Okinawa.
The US Marines’ Futenma base is deeply unpopular with many residents and removing it had been a key election pledge of the prime minister. But on a visit to the island, Mr Hatoyama said “realistically speaking, it is impossible” to fully relocate it. The island is home to over half the 47,000 American troops based in Japan.
Mr Hatoyama, speaking on his first visit to Okinawa since becoming prime minister, said maintaining the base in some form was needed for national security, under Japan’s post-war military alliance with the US. He called on the Japanese people to be “willing to share the burden, because the bases are necessary for national security”.
The US has been staunchly opposed to any renegotiation of the deal, and the row has damaged bilateral ties. It has also undermined support for Japan’s centre-left government. Mr Hatoyama took office in September, promising to steer Japan into a more independent relationship with the US – reassessing Okinawa was a central part of this pledge. Islanders have been angered More >
BusinessWeek: China’s April Trade Surplus Shrinks 87% on Imports
May 12th
May 10, 2010 (Bloomberg) — China’s trade surplus shrank 87 percent in April from a year earlier as imports grew faster than exports because of stimulus-driven domestic demand.
A 79 percent decline in the trade surplus in the first four months of 2010 from a year earlier may ease pressure for gains in the yuan and support Premier Wen Jiabao’s argument that the currency isn’t undervalued. The sovereign-debt crisis in Europe that today prompted a loan package of almost $1 trillion to help nations under attack from speculators may also encourage Chinese officials to delay ending the yuan’s peg to the dollar.
The Road Less Traveled in Globalization
May 12th
by R Sampath
In globalization strategy, there are often discussions about opportunity, revenue, risk mitigation, culture and oversight. Trend assessment is important as is getting to the right point in time and space in a new overseas environment. Balancing investment with risk, grounded in realistic expectations are crucial in measuring and achieving success. New market sensibilities, perceptions, competitive analysis, distribution networks and trading alliance nuances are all essential. A solid business case will have been created for strategy & execution that builds on the harmony between company direction and the new global environment.
While these considerations are all absolutely critical, this piece shall touch on a slightly different aspect. The power of coalitions and positioning of your product, service and application can open new avenues. Granted, this may not apply to all industry categories, but a surprising number fall in this space.
We are of course speaking of social and green entrepreneurship. Renewable energy, telecommunications, water treatment, fundamental infrastructure & transportation, biotech, agriculture, healthcare tech, aerospace and many others fall in the space of humanitarian technology.
The Bottom of the Pyramid is indeed a tasteful reference to the world’s poor. The term was coined by President Franklin D Roosevelt and more recently was a More >
84th Annual World Trade Week & International Trade Delegates Luncheon
May 10th
FTA: 84th Annual World Trade Week & International Trade Delegates Luncheon
Thursday, May 20 2010, 11:00am – 3:00pm
Presentation of the Marjorie M. Shostak Distinguished Service Award
Speaker: Paul Bingham Managing Director of World Trade & Transportation Markets Global Commerce & Transportation Group IHS Global Insights
Thursday, May 20, 2010 11:00 am Trade Fair 12:00 Noon Luncheon
Wilshire Grand Hotel 930 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90009
Inland Empire Global Event on May 20th
May 6th
THINK GLOBALLY: YOUR PASSPORT TO PROSPERITY Grab Your Share of the $50 Trillion World Economy DATE: Thursday, May 20, 2010 TIME: 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM
LOCATION: Ontario Convention Center, 2000 Convention Center Way, Ontario, CA 91764
Description: A fresh look at the role the global economy can play in your businesses future. In honor of World Trade Month 2010, the County of San Bernardino EDA and the City of Riverside are once again partnering with the Inland Empire Economic Partnership to highlight the tremendous regional impact of the rapidly evolving global economy.
HOSTED BY: Inland Empire Economic Partnership Questions about the event please email events@ieep.com Event Details and Registration: http://2010wtm.eventbrite.com/
Strategic Partners: Inland Empire Asian Business Association California Manufacturing Technology Consulting CHARO Center for International Trade Development Inland Empire Women’s Business Center Inland Empire Small Business Development Cente
ET: Indian Banks to talk ATM Expansion with Telcos
Jan 4th
MUMBAI: ATMs (Automated Teller Machines) may soon go the cellular phone way. Mobile phones, which began as a gadget for the rich, has now become accessible even to the lowest strata of the society.
RBI has recently allowed banks to appoint small retail outlets, including grocery stores, as banking correspondents to extend banking to hitherto unbanked areas.
“ATMs are getting much more compact and they cost a fraction of what they used to several years back,” said an official with an ATM company. At present, no bank stocks currency notes of less than Rs 100 denomination in an ATM as this restricts the cash handling capacity. However, bankers say that it is possible to have ATMs dispensing out smaller amounts.
In a statement issued here on Wednesday, the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) said that it held a meeting of bankers in Mumbai to discuss, among other things, the modalities for working together with the government on the unique identification (UID) project. IBA is already working on combining the UID project with the financial inclusion projects of banks.
It has proposed that UID numbers could be allotted to individuals with the help of banks. This exercise in turn would help banks increase their accounts base.
IBA More >
