EU AND IRAQ HOLD THIRD ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS FOR A TRADE AND COOPERATION AGREEMENT

The European Union and Iraq are holding the third round of negotiations for a Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) in Brussels, November 27-29. The negotiations cover energy, environment, some trade provisions, human rights, science and technology, security, weapons of mass destruction and counterterrorism (WMD). The agreement will progressively strengthen the EU’s relations with Iraq and help integrate the country in the world economy (European Union, Delegation of the European Commission to the USA). Click on the Link for complete article and visit www.nkita.blogspot.com to read similar postings.

Seeting up your business operations in Hong Kong?

Learn about requirements and process to set up different forms of business in Hong Kong. Analysis is given on the advantages and disadvantages of each form of business. Contacts for registration and application procedures and further reference sources are also included. Click on the Link for complete information.

China's E-Tail Awakening

New online-payment systems are drawing wary consumers into the world of Web commerce (B. Einhorn and Chi-Chu Tschang, BusinessWeek, November 8, 2007). Click on the Link for complete article

Giving Thanks for New Market Opportunities

Under the U.S.-Korea FTA, U.S. exports of traditional Thanksgiving foods could expand greatly:

Turkey
Korea's frozen turkey market is valued at almost $4 million. The United States is already the largest supplier of turkey parts to Korea. Under the U.S.-Korea FTA the current 18 percent tariff applied to these products will be eliminated over seven years.

Cranberries
International demand for U.S. cranberries is growing. The elimination of Korea's 45 percent tariff on cranberries within 10 years of the FTA's implementation will further bolster U.S. cranberry farmers' foreign market shares.

Carrots, Celery, Cauliflower and Broccoli
The 27 percent tariff on U.S. celery exports to Korea will be eliminated immediately after the agreement is entered into force. Similar Korean tariffs on U.S. carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower exports will be phased out over five years

Pumpkins and Sweet Potatoes
U.S. pumpkins exported to Korea will face zero tariffs immediately. Sweet potatoes will be included in a tariff rate quota system, which will phase out all Korean trade barriers to sweet potatoes within 15 years.

Happy Thanksgiving from the U.S.-Korea FTA Business Coalition!

For more information on the U.S.-Korea FTA Business Coalition please visit www.uskoreafta.org

EU Commissioner Mandelson Says EU-U.S. Ties Should Serve "Equitable Globalization"

In a speech at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson today said that the European Union and the United States must use their collective economic weight to underwrite the openness of the global economy as it adjusts to the rise of new economic powers and greater global flows of investment,(European Union, Delegation of the European Commission to the United States).
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Vital Signs: Exports, Productivity Should Boost Growth

On tap: September foreign trade, October service-sector activity, third-quarter labor productivity, November consumer sentiment (J. Mehring, BusinessWeek, November 1, 2007). Click on the Link for complete article

Trade Mission Available: South America (Ohio companies only)

The Ohio Department of Development invites you to take part in a three-country trade mission to Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and São Paulo, Brazil from April 19-29, 2008. The mission will be led by the Department’s International Trade Division, in partnership with the Council of Great Lakes Governors, whose member states include Minnesota, New York, Wisconsin, and Ohio. The purpose of this mission is to assist small- to medium-sized companies from the Great Lakes region to export their products and services to these rapidly-growing markets. The mission’s agenda includes business appointments and receptions. For more information, please contact Deborah Scherer, Director, Ohio Department of Development, International Trade Division, Ph: 614-466-5363. Read More

The New Supply Chain

How netowrk shift and other forces are changing the rules for domestic freight transportation providers - and what to do about it (Merge Global Forecating Team, www.americanshipper.com). Read the entire report

Trading Up: How Expanding Trade Has Delivered Better Jobs and Higher Living Standards for American Workers

Opponents of trade liberalization have sought to indict free trade and trade agreements by painting a grim picture of the economic state of American workers and households. They claim that real wages have been stagnant or declining as millions of higher-paying middle-class jobs are lost to imports. But the reality for a broad swath of American workers and households is far different and more benign (D.Griswold, Center for Trade Policy Studies, October 25, 2007). Read More

ITC RELEASES REPORT ON U.S. INDUSTRY PRODUCING TRAVEL GOODS OF TEXTILE MATERIAL

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) today released its report on the level of U.S. production and shipments of travel goods of textile materials.

The report, Certain Textile Articles: Travel Goods of Textile Materials, was requested by the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Ways and Means.

As requested, the ITC provided data for 2005 and 2006 on U.S. production and shipments of travel goods with an outer surface of textile materials and the textile materials used to make them (U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), 10/31/2007).Download the full report