World Trade articles from February 2005

World Trade archives from February 2005

Keeping America competitive.(Inside World Trade)(global trade competitiveness, skilled labor)
February 1, 2005... There's no shortage of items on the President's agenda for the next four years but one, arguably as important as any, risks getting lost in the shuffle. That issue is how to sustain America's global trade competitiveness in a world where...

U.S. deficit threatens global economy with 'hard landing'.(Policy Perspectives)
February 1, 2005... The United States will have a deficit of about $670 billion this year in its current account (exports of goods, services, and income payments), or about 5.7 percent of GDP, a figure which has grown steadily from nearly zero in 1991 and is...

Transportation Service Index (TSI).(Tradewinds: the latest trends in the world of trade)(freight and passenger indexes)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The Transportation Services Index (TSI) rose 0.5 percent in September from its August level of 124.5, the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported. The TSI, which combines freight and passenger indexes,...

Ocean carriers riding the wave ... for now.(The Americas)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Ocean shipping executives believe that the dramatic profits enjoyed by carriers will begin to taper off in 2006. Capacity will start to catch up with demand around the same time, which means that shippers will likely see rates start to...

Brazil up for review by USTR.(The Americas)(United States Trade Representative, intellectual property rights laws)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The U.S. Trade Representative will extend its review of Brazil's GSP eligibility until the end of March. The review was prompted over concerns that Brazil was not doing enough to improve and strengthen its intellectual property rights laws....

UP, Canadian National unite to reduce congestion.(The Americas)(Union Pacific Railroad Co., Canadian National Railway Co.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Union Pacific railroad and Canadian National Railway have agreed to work together to move a significant amount of freight away from Chicago in order to alleviate congestion at the nation's largest rail interchange. The agreement between...

U.S. exporters post gains in 2004.(The Americas)(Manufacturing industries)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The latest export figures from the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, show that through October 2004, goods exports for the year were up 12.8 percent over the same period in 2003. The biggest gains were made...

U.S. farm exports to taper off, yet Cuba looks promising.(The Americas)(Trade Sanctions and Reform Export Enhancement Act of 2000)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Farm product exports have historically been the cornerstone of the U.S. agricultural industry. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts that imports this year will finally rival exports. Specifically, the USDA forecasts that...

Canada revises rules governing truck drivers' hours.(The Americas)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Similar to the U.S. 'Hours-of-Service' rule that limits the time truck drivers can spend behind the wheel each day, Canada has proposed changes to its truck driver rules. Specifically, the new rules call for limiting commercial to 13 hours...

Japanese automakers generate their own power.(Asia Pacific)(Toyota Motor Corp. installs gas cogeneration systems )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Japanese automakers are among a few big energy consumers who are opting to generate their own power, now that the country's energy sector has been liberalized and large-scale electricity users aren't required to buy from existing utilities. ...

China ranks as second-biggest consumer of PCs.(Asia Pacific)(Personal computers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... China has surpassed Japan to become the second-biggest consumer of PCs after the U.S. In fact, China has acquired an impressive appetite for technology. There are nearly 100 million Internet users and 15 million subscribers to DSL service,...

China's currency policy doesn't need to change.(Asia Pacific)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The U.S. government has cleared China of manipulating the yuan to gain an unfair trade advantage. American manufacturers have long complained that the country's pegging of the yuan to the dollar gives Chinese manufacturers an edge. For...

China drops import licenses on more products.(Asia Pacific)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... As of January 1, 2005, the Chinese government will no longer require import licenses for cars, certain auto parts, and compact disc manufacturing equipment. The move was prompted by China's commitment to the World Trade Organization. ...

Toyota to build assembly plant in Russia.(Europe)(Toyota Motor Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Toyota Motor Corp. is wrapping up negotiations for the construction of an auto assembly plant in Russia, which could prompt other Japanese automakers to follow suit. The city of St. Petersburg is one of the leading contenders for the...

France adds flexibility to the workweek.(Europe)(labor law)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... France's 35-hour workweek is getting more flexible under a plan by Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin. Under the new plan, companies will be allowed to negotiate their own deals with employees on overtime, as long as it stays within the EU's...

Investors bullish on Poland's retail real estate market.(Europe)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... U.S. investors are pursuing Poland's retail real estate market, which has seen a lot of activity lately in shopping center development, especially from large international food retailers such as France's Casino and Germany's Metro Group. ...

Bush supports Russia's efforts to join WTO.(Europe)(George W. Bush, World Trade Organization)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Bush will meet in February in the Slovak city of Bratislava to discuss a range of political and economic issues, including Russia's efforts to join the World Trade Organization. Although a...

Libya still presents challenges for U.S. exporters.(Middle East & Africa)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Although the U.S. government removed most trade barriers with Libya earlier this year, there are still obstacles for American firms wanting to establish trade links with the North African country. In particular, the Commerce Department's...

Iraqi instability hampering reconstruction efforts.(Middle East & Africa)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) says that ongoing violence in Iraq is hurting efforts to rebuild the country's infrastructure and generate private investment. Although elections for a legislative assembly are set to be held at the end of...

Egypt, Israel, and the U.S. sign trade pact.(Middle East & Africa)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... A landmark trade pact signed between Egypt, Israel, and the U.S. will allow Egyptian goods to enter the U.S. free of duty provided they have a set percentage of Israeli content. The trade agreement requires the creation of three qualified...

UAE joins U.S. Customs' Container Security Initiative (CSI).(Middle East & Africa)(port of Dubai security contract, United Arab Emirates)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The United Arab Emirates has joined U.S. Customs' Container Security Initiative (CSI), making it the first Arab country to join the security program. Under the agreement, U.S. Customs will post inspectors at the port of Dubai to assist local...

By the numbers.(Tradewinds: the latest trends in the world of trade)(inflation)(Illustration)
February 1, 2005... BY THE Numbers HIGHEST INFLATION, 2003 Zimbabwe: 140% Angola: 98% Myanmar: 57% Congo: 32% Venezuela: 31% Belarus: ...

China never stops: all roads in the global supply chain run through China but appearances can be deceptive. Editorial Director Neil Shister went there to see for himself what's going on.(Editorial)
February 1, 2005... The danger with China is that newcomers are too easily overwhelmed. Such has been true since 1300, when Marco Polo brought back reports on 'the middle kingdom' (iron manufacture at levels Europe wouldn't reach for 500 more years, canals linking...

Things America make best: U.S. manufacturing still has powerful competitive advantages even in the face of cheap foreign labor.
February 1, 2005... America's competitive advantage in manufacturing dates back to 1791, when Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton delivered his controversial proposition that directing national resources to industry would produce more wealth than to agriculture....

The non-techie CEO's guide to global supply chain technology: understand the basics and there's no need to feel overwhelmed by IT.(information technology )
February 1, 2005... You likely know the IT buzz words that light up your supply chain people--event planning... alerts and dashboards... wireless information feed from cell phones to radio frequency identification (RFID)... enterprise resource planning (ERP)...

Xerox relies on supply chain to enable corporate strategy: maintaining multiple partner networks provides opportunities and hedges risks.(Wim Appelo)(Interview)
February 1, 2005... Business today seeks a firmer grip on operations--even as those operations become more dispersed both geographically and through outsourcing, development partners and other steps. Xerox--one of the best known of American-based...

The near-term outlook for short-sea shipping: shippers and carriers are getting more creative in finding ways to keep supply chains moving.(Transportation & Logistics)
February 1, 2005... Short-sea shipping may turn out to be this year's big news item. While most in the shipping industry are familiar with the concept, up until recently it hasn't gotten much coverage--shippers didn't view it as a viable addition to their...

NSCSA poised for next quarter century.(Ocean Cargo)(National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2005... Twenty-five years ago in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia was established by royal decree initiating the country's first step from the proverbial ships of the desert to ships of the sea. During this past...

Independent/all-water containerized global carrier.(Yang Ming Line's management)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2005... For more than three decades, YML has remained true to its innovative, customer-driven quest for excellence in punctuality, reliability, efficiency and safety--earning its reputation as one of the world's leading, experienced on-time global...

China Shipping.(Ocean Cargo)(China Shipping Agency Company Inc.'s services)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2005... China Shipping (North America) Agency Company, Inc. ("CSNA") is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Shipping (Group) Company ("CSG") of Shanghai. CSNA serves as the General Agent throughout the United States for China Shipping Container Lines...

Clockwork strategies: furniture manufacturer Knoll profits from global supply chain sourcing.(Industry focus: consumer goods)
February 1, 2005... Upscale office furnishings manufacturer Knoll Inc. knew it had to develop a new operational paradigm to handle its increasing global supply chain (particularly from China). "Over the last two years, we experienced a significant shift in our...

Global supply chains challenge banks to do more: financing tricky deals in risky places is becoming a core competency for aggressive banks.(Finance)(FMC Technologies Inc.)
February 1, 2005... FMC Technologies has had its share of challenges in putting together trade deals in the key emerging markets, places where the opportunities are big, but the financing takes a lot of skill and specialized resources. The Houston machinery...

OOCL: www.broward.org/port.(Web Locators)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... OOCL offers customers comprehensive coverage of east-west trade corridors, with some of the fastest transit times in the industry. Regular services connect Asia, North America, Europe, the Mediterranean, the Indian sub-continent and the Middle...

Meridian IQ: www.meridianiq.com.(Web Locators)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... As a global logistics management company, Meridian IQ helps customers make better use of global transportation resources. Our approach allows customers to choose the level of service that best fits their needs. All levels are quick and easy to...

Global positioning goes public.(Great Moments in World Trade)(Global Positioning System)
February 1, 2005... "It's rare that someone can press a button and make something you own instantly more valuable, but that's exactly what's going to happen today. "The date: May 1, 2000. The speaker: Dr. Neal Lane, Director of the White House Office of Science...