Posts Tagged ‘China’

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Promoting the RV Lifestyle in China: Recreational Vehicle Industry Association Receives Cooperator Award

September 12, 2012

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Charlie Rast is an International Trade Specialist in the Office of Consumer Goods Industries within the Manufacturing and Services division of the International Trade Administration.

Returning from a recent trip to Shanghai and Beijing, representatives of the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) had great things to say about the potential for U.S. RV manufacturers in the growth and development in the Chinese RV industry. RVIA’s trip to China June 19 to July 1 was the association’s fourth trade mission to the country.

The U.S. RV industry believes there is great potential for RVs in China. RVs and RV camping are becoming increasingly popular in the country, and U.S. exports of RVs to China are growing. In 2011, U.S. RV exports to China exceeded $24 million, an increase of 78 percent since 2009. China is the third largest market of U.S. RV exports, following Canada and Mexico.

An important issue towards advancing the growth of the RV industry in China is the development of Chinese standards that are compatible with U.S. standards. Among the key achievements during its recent trip was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between RVIA and the China Automotive Technology and Resource Center (CATARC) to work together on RV standards issues. 

RVIA President Richard Coon signs CATARC agreement. (Photo RVIA)

RVIA President Richard Coon signs CATARC agreement. (Photo RVIA)

“This Memorandum of Understanding with CATARC is a significant step toward developing a more formal RV standard for China that is harmonized with our North American standards, which would be a boost to U.S. RV manufacturers and suppliers interested in doing business in the Chinese RV market” RVIA President Richard Coon said in a recent press release.

Among the other organizations and agencies RVIA met with during the trip included the China Ministry of Transportation, to discuss road use regulations affecting RVs, and the Shanghai Tourism Administration to talk about RV and campground projects.

RVIA also met with officials from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers to discuss the association’s role on a new RV committee formed by the organization, as well as China Travel Services to talk about how the company can work with RVIA and its members.

RVIA also met with officials and staff from the U.S. Commercial Service at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, who are assisting U.S. industry’s efforts in the country.

In addition to RVIA’s achievements during the recent trip, ITA recently announced that the association has been selected to receive a Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) award from ITA for its programs and initiatives in China, as well as Japan. The RVIA initiative financial award is $300,000 over a three year period.

Under the award, RVIA will work with ITA to accomplish the following objectives: 

  • Establish an office in Beijing; 
  • Pursue adoption of RV and campground industry standards compatible with U.S. standards; 
  • Pursue the inclusion of RV definitions in the China motor vehicle code and removal of regulatory obstacles; 
  • Pursue adoption of China Compulsory Certification (CCC) requirements that take into account the unique issues faced by RV manufacturers; 
  • Pursue reduction of RV import duties and tariffs; 
    Establish a website in Chinese and use social media and trade shows to promote RVing in China with an emphasis on U. S. products; 
  • Serve as a resource for growing the RV market and campground development in China; 
  • Demonstrate how to operate an RV and tow a trailer; and 
  • Pursue opportunities to provide Japan with RVs for the country’s post-disaster assistance efforts.

Through this collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Commerce and the RVIA, more U.S. made recreational vehicles will find their way to the highways and byways of China.

Posted in Competitiveness, Exporting, Manufacturing and Services | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

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Independent Film Targets China and Asia-Pacific via Hong Kong Filmart

May 22, 2012

Andrea DaSilva is a senior analyst for Media & Entertainment Services and a Project Manager for the MDCP award with IFTA in the International Trade Administration. Fanny Chau is a Commercial Specialist at CS Hong Kong and manages Filmart for ITA.

The U.S. film industry has been making inroads in Asia, and in 2012, with the ground breaking U.S.-China Film Agreement, took a quantum leap forward. China promises to increase the 20-film quota by 65 percent, and to make the process of bringing American-made movies to the Chinese market more transparent. This is great news for the independent sector, which has a competitive advantage in 3-D and digital formats covered under the new quota. 

Commercial Service and Hong Kong Trade Development Council staff at the booth during Hong Kong Filmart

Commercial Service and Hong Kong Trade Development Council staff at the booth during Hong Kong Filmart

Major U.S. film studios and independents alike are eager to expand market access to China, beyond co-productions that limit ownership and earnings. On the tail of this announcement, the Hong Kong Filmart, a major film and television trade event, took place from March 19-22. Hong Kong has been referred to as the “Pacific Bridge” to the Chinese market, underscored by the annual Filmart, which in 2012 attracted more than 5,800 buyers and nearly 650 exhibitors from 33 countries.  The International Trade Administration (ITA) has championed the U.S. presence at Filmart for a decade, and in 2011 launched the first American Pavilion.

This unique collaboration includes the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) and the International Trade Administration through Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) funding, as well as the Pacific Bridge Initiative (PBI), an arrangement initiated by the Commercial Service in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).

Building on last year’s successful introduction of the American Pavilion, with IFTA as host, ITA staff from Hong Kong, Washington, Los Angeles, and 10 regional economies in Asia rallied behind the largest U.S. showing yet at Filmart. The regional ITA specialists played a significant role and recruited 200 potential buyers, representing Singapore, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, India, Vietnam and other countries in the region. IFTA brought a mix of 40 independent production and distribution companies, including film and television agents to exhibit at the American Pavilion. Commercial Service Hong Kong and IFTA facilitated business meetings between the buyers and the American exhibitors.

As a result of this concerted effort, more than 200 deals worth nearly $9 million were completed, and the deals are still rolling in. Total U.S. exhibitor numbers were up by 40 percent from the previous year, attesting to the success of the Pavilion and the combined efforts across ITA’s foreign and domestic posts.

Commercial Service Hong Kong was instrumental in the overall success of the Pavilion, and with regional and U.S.-based staff, provided market research, export counseling, and the collection of export successes from each Pavilion exhibitor, in a truly collaborative effort. Consul General Stephen Young, together with the show organizer HKTDC and the PBI, hosted a networking reception exclusively for the U.S. exhibitors. 

MDCP partnerships support projects that enhance the global competitiveness of U.S. industries. They also recognize the ability of trade associations and non-profits to support small and medium-sized businesses to compete globally. MDCP partners pledge to fund a minimum of two-thirds of the project cost and to sustain the project after the MDCP period ends. On average, between 1997 and 2011, every dollar invested in MDCP projects generated $211 in exports.

Posted in Commercial Service, Competitiveness, Exporting, Services | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

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International Visitors to the U.S. Jumped 9 Percent in February 2012

April 27, 2012

Claudia Wolfe is an Economist in the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI) within the International Trade Administration where she focuses on international visitation to the United States.

As Pow Wow winds down this week, it’s great news that international visitation to the U.S. is up this year over last year.

The number of international visitors to the United States rose 9 percent in February from a year ago, after record arrivals in 2011 and an increase in visits in January 2012.

A total 4.2 million international visitors came to the U.S., with the largest number from nearby Canada and Mexico in February of this year.

Of the top 10 nations sending visitors to the U.S., two countries posted double-digit growth: Brazil and China. Brazil is up more than 27 percent in 2012 over last year with 294,052 arriving in the U.S. and visitors from China so far in 2012 total 227,856, up 40 percent over last year.

Miami, New York’s JFK and Los Angeles LAX airports were the three busiest ports of entry for international travelers in February.

For more information, visit OTTI’s monthly visitation page

Posted in Exporting, International Trade Administration, Services, Statistics, Travel & Tourism | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

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China’s Economy Still Holds Good Opportunities for U.S. Firms

March 27, 2012

This story is part of an ongoing series highlighting the information available to participants in the 2012 Asia Pacific Business Outlook (APBO)

William Zarit is the Minister for Commercial Affairs, U.S. Embassy, Beijing, China.

I’m excited to be back again at the Asia Pacific Business Outlook. Yesterday, I discussed China’s country outlook. With the February visit of Chinese Vice President and heir apparent Xi Jinping, the state of U.S.-China relations is receiving a lot of attention from both countries as we continue to expand commercial activity. The success from the 22nd plenary meeting of the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) last November will help boost U.S. exports and jobs, albeit incrementally.

At the JCCT, the Chinese eliminated some protectionist policies and made progress toward better enforcement of intellectual property rights in China.

Best Prospects

A number of obstacles still exist for U.S. firms doing business in China, including protectionism; high labor costs; duplicative, costly and slow certifications and approvals; a frequently unclear regulatory environment; and poor IPR enforcement.  With China’s GDP growth projected to be at or above 7.5 percent through 2013, there is still potential for U.S. exports in many sectors, including:

  • clean energy
  • green building
  • renewable energy
  • water and water pollution treatment systems
  • travel and tourism
  • medical devices and healthcare
  • railroads and metro transit
  • aviation
  • information and communications technology
  • marine industries
  • agriculture; and
  • Chinese outbound foreign direct investment

Making Your Move in the China Market

U.S. companies need to take advantage of key trends in China such as massive urbanization, a growing middle class, U.S. export growth to 2nd and 3rd tier cities, and Chinese disposable income predicted to double in eight years.  Also, almost 50 percent of the Chinese population is forecast to belong to the middle class by 2020.

Don’t Go It Alone in China – Visit the Commercial Service

The Commercial section in the Embassy is part of a global network of trade professionals dedicated to U.S. commercial interests worldwide.  We connect U.S. business to opportunities in China. With almost 100 staff in five offices in China:  Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shenyang, we also serve U.S. business in 14 second tier cities, working in partnership with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

We can help in many ways, including:

  • finding distributors and agents for U.S. exports;
  • screening potential Chinese agents, distributors, and partners;
  • promoting your firm to target markets;
  • supporting multi-city U.S. government-led trade missions and trade shows;
  • and organizing and leading Chinese buying delegations to the U.S.

Go to www.export.gov/china to learn more about us and what we can do for your company in China.

Posted in Commercial Service, Competitiveness, Exporting, International Trade Administration | Tagged , | Leave a Comment »

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Talking NEI in China

June 7, 2010

Francisco J. Sánchez is the Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade

I have just returned from a trip to China where we focused on our NEI priorities through the Strategic and Economic Dialogue and a mid-year JCCT review.  These two mechanisms are central in our efforts to encourage an open, transparent, and fair trading climate within this key market.  I also visited the World Expo in Shanghai with Secretary Clinton’s delegation, and especially enjoyed my visit to the U.S. pavilion.  The pavilion is not only a showcase of American promise, but the process that led to the pavilion’s existence is its own story of the collaboration and creativity of American companies and universities. Congratulations again to all of the American sponsors of the U.S. pavilion who made it such a great success.

Posted in Commercial Service, Exporting, Interagency, International Trade Administration, National Export Initiative, Trade Shows and Trade Events | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

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Colorado Receives MDCP Award for Cleantech

December 17, 2009

Amy Reichert is the Director of Trade and Investment for the Americas at the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).   

It took two tries, but this year our team of trade experts at the Colorado International Trade Office joined the ranks of MDCP recipients with a program tailored to promote exports of cleantech and environmental products and services to China and Mexico.  CO-EXist, or Colorado Export of Innovative and Sustainable Technologies, officially launches in January, 2010. 

We vaguely knew about MDCP, but it wasn’t until we met another MDCP recipient at a trade show in Chile that we started to see its value and brainstormed ideas for a program of our own.  The International Trade Office (ITO) team enthusiastically began to form our proposal. 

We explored markets and industries where we thought we could have an impact among Colorado exporters.  With a strong state-wide push to develop the “New Energy Economy”, we narrowed our industry focus to renewable energy.  But looking more closely at our base of potential exporters, we expanded the focus to incorporate all environmental technologies: water and wastewater infrastructure; air pollution control; energy efficiency; clean and renewable energy infrastructure and generation; waste management and recycling; monitoring and compliance; green building; transportation technologies; and the list goes on…. 

Maybe it’s our inherent desire to protect the natural beauty that is Colorado, or our deeply-rooted mining history, but we’ve long had a strong base of environmental companies, and we designed our program to capitalize on and further strengthen that core competitive advantage.  Colorado’s cleantech culture is evidenced by the fact that we are the first state in the nation to pass a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) by a vote of the people.

Next up, picking our target markets.  We have some advantages in Mexico with an office in Mexico City, Spanish-speaking staff, and significant market demand.  It’s also often a market picked by first-time exporters.  China is also key.  It’s a large and growing market, but can be difficult to navigate, especially for small companies.  Through CO-EXist, and with the support of our MDCP team, we believe we can reduce risk and facilitate market entry for Colorado companies.

Although our first application was unsuccessful, the seeds had been planted.  Even without MDCP support, we began implementing components of our proposal – and with great success!  We applied again and were rewarded for our efforts.

Now with the full support of our MDCP team, and other local partners, we look forward to a fruitful partnership and many company success stories!

Posted in Exporting, Green and Sustainable, Manufacturing and Services | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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