Posts filed under ‘North America’
Business in the Americas Conference
On Friday, April 20, the Cincinnati Hispanic Chamber will host the Business in the Americas Conference at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza. There will be headline speakers from the US Commercial Service and leading companies who will share insights and practical advice about doing business in the Americas: NAFTA, CAFTA, Caribbean,
Andean and MERCOSUR/SUL. More than 35 business attorneys from every major country in the Americas will be on hand to discuss trade opportunities and to answer your specific questions about how to grow inter-American business.
More information on this event can be found here. To register, please visit www.hispanicchambercincinnati.com.
Canada and U.S. Near Pact
The U.S. and Canada are in the final stages of hammering out a broad pact on border security that could be unveiled within the next several weeks, say people familiar with the situation.
The pact aims to address both U.S. fears that Canadian border-security measures are too lax and Canadian complaints that tight U.S.-border controls are hindering trade, these people say.
The two sides are discussing coordinating how to screen people entering the U.S. or Canada, making sure they have compatible methods to examine cargo leaving foreign ports for the U.S. or Canada, and increasing information-sharing and intelligence cooperation, according to a draft agreement cited by Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper.
They also are discussing coordinating the planning, funding and modernizing of some ports and border facilities, the paper said.
The agreement outlines broad goals, and gives the two sides 120 days to come up with plans for implementation, the Globe and Mail reported.
The U.S. and Canada hope that bolstering cooperation on everything from traveler screening to cargo clearing will let both countries refocus scarce resources on dealings with nations outside their shared “perimeter,” and speed the movement of goods and people over their internal border.
Such a pact “has got the potential to be a much more significant step in how we exist on this continent,” said Gordon Giffin, who proposed similar ideas a decade ago when he was U.S. ambassador to Canada.
“We have a keen focus on ensuring that the Canada-U.S. border does not continue to thicken” as a result of added security measures, said Jason Kenney, Canada’s minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, when asked about the reported negotiations. “If we can find reasonable ways to cooperate with the U.S. that maintain our sovereignty and respect our laws, we’re keen to do so.” Read More
Source: P. Dvorak, Wall Street Journal, December 20, 2010
Legislation to Implement Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Receives Royal Assent
The Honourable Peter Van Loan, Minister of International Trade, today announced that legislation to implement Canada’s free trade agreement with Colombia has received Royal Assent.
“I’m pleased that this free trade agreement with Colombia, a key market in South America, is now law in Canada,” said Minister Van Loan. “The agreement demonstrates our government’s commitment to an ambitious free trade agenda. The agreement will benefit Canada’s producers and exporters, reduce or eliminate tariffs on nearly all current Canadian exports, and provide a more predictable, transparent and rules-based trading environment for Canadian investors.”
The Canada-Colombia free trade legislation includes parallel agreements on labour cooperation and the environment. Under these agreements, Canada and Colombia agree to respect internationally recognized labour standards and principles, and to pursue high levels of environmental protection as the two countries intensify their commercial relationship.
Source: Canada News Center, Government of Canada
Haiti Earthquake Provokes Wave of Text Donations
Text donations have hit prime time. In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti on the evening of Jan. 12, Americans were texting their support big-time. In less than 48 hours, donations to the American Red Cross—made by texting HAITI to 90999—had reached $5 million, and donations were reported to be coming in at a rate of $200,000 per hour. That’s more than 12 times the amount that donors had sent by text in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Link
Source: A. Feldman
Global Technology Companies Protest Chinese Procurement Law
Global technology, service and manufacturing companies are raising concerns to the Chinese government over new rules they fear could restrict or block foreign vendors from selling high-tech gear to China’s government agencies. More than two dozen major industry groups from North America, Europe and Asia — representing most of the world’s major technology companies — sent a letter Thursday to Chinese ministries saying they were “deeply troubled” by the Chinese requirement.
The new rule requires vendors to gain accreditation for their products before they can be included in a government procurement catalog of products containing “indigenous innovation.” Companies that aren’t listed in the catalog will theoretically be allowed to bid for government contracts. But those that are listed will apparently be given preference.
At stake are billions of dollars of Chinese government spending on personal computers and application devices, communication products, office equipment, software and energy-efficient products. (By LORETTA CHAO, The Wall Street Journal, DECEMBER 11, 2009)
U.S. Power Companies Seek Out Chinese Allies
Duke Chief Executive Jim Rogers said these deals are just the beginning, and that he may solicit Chinese financing for the $25 billion in capital Duke needs to raise in the next five years to build new plants and upgrade other facilities.
As President Barack Obama meets with Chinese officials this week, tamping down carbon-dioxide emissions is on the agenda. The U.S. and China together account for 40% of the world’s output of the gas, the leading culprit in global warming. The two nations’ talks are expected to explore ways they can cooperate to solve common problems, such as making coal a cleaner-burning fuel.
The Global Innovation Migration
Research and development is increasingly going global, according to a new report by Duke’s Offshoring Research Network (ORN). More than half of U.S. companies now have corporatewide initiatives to outsource innovation activities, up from 22% in 2005, according to the ORN, which has been tracking the growth of outsourcing since 2004. And of those companies already offshoring development, 60% intend to do so more aggressively.
The days when you could trace development of the majority of the world’s innovative technologies back to U.S. labs are fading fast. Outsourcing of R&D is irreversible. Still, the U.S. retains key advantages and remains well-positioned to continue its technology leadership. But that can happen only if as a nation we recognize the changing role of R&D and refrain from wasting scarce resources trying to recapture a bygone era. Mandating that R&D traditionally performed in the U.S. should stay in America would tie the hands of companies at precisely the time they need flexibility to compete against up-and-coming foreign competitors. (By Vivek Wadhwa, BusinessWeek, November 9, 2009)
EU-US Summit
Leaders from the European Union and the United States gathered in Washington, DC, yesterday for the annual EU-US Summit.
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso commended President Obama’s leadership on climate change stating that he “changed the climate on the climate negotiations.” President Barroso stressed that with the strong leadership of the United States an agreement on climate change would be possible. “We are working toward a framework agreement in Copenhagen that will be an important agreement for the world. And we had particularly a very good discussion on this today and I think it was one of the most important points of our exchange.”
The summit also focused on ways for the EU and the US to cooperate on global challenges, including economic recovery and growth and providing effective assistance to developing countries. A number of foreign policy issues, including the situation in the Middle East and Afghanistan, were also discussed.
In conjunction with the Summit, a newly established EU-US Energy Council also met for first time today to deepen bilateral energy cooperation and address the growing challenges of global energy security, sustainability and climate change.
RD International Trade Seminar Series Office of Economics
RD International Trade Seminar Series
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: 500 E Street, SW Washington, DC
Room : Conference Room – 615P
Metro Directions:
Take the orange, blue, yellow or green lines to the L’Enfant Plaza stop. Use the exit marked “7th & D Sts.” Exit through the construction, down the stairs. Turn right and walk east to the corner of 6th and D Sts. (half a block). Turn right and walk south on 6th St. (2 blocks) to the corner of 6th and E Sts. The USITC building is on the left (SW corner).
THE WHITE HOUSE – Office of the Press Secretary:
WORLD TRADE WEEK, 2009
– – – – – – –
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
When the world’s consumers fly in a U.S.-manufactured airplane, eat a steak from America’s heartland, watch a Hollywood movie, or visit the Grand Canyon, they are helping to create and maintain good jobs for Americans.
World Trade Week is an opportunity to reaffirm the benefits of trade and to emphasize America’s commitment to a global marketplace that creates good jobs and lifts up American families. The United States and our trading partners stand to gain when trade is open, transparent, rules-based, and fair, showing respect for labor and environmental standards.
The United States is well-positioned to reap the benefits of trade. America is a leader in the global marketplace and ranks at the top of almost every measure of global competitiveness. Our businesses, workers, and farmers remain the most innovative, productive, and adaptable in the world. The United States is also the world’s largest exporter.
Northern Kentucky International Trade Association (or NKITA) Blog 