H O M E          L A T E   B R E A K I N G   N E W S            P A S T   N E W S L E T T E R S

U. S.   C U S T O M S   N E W S

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has Seized $10 Million in Misdescribed Textile Products since October

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Hires Textile Enforcement Personnel and Seizes an Additional $4 Million of Illegal Textiles

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has hired 45 additional personnel to bolster U.S. textile law enforcement efforts and during the month of February seized $4 million in illegal textiles trying to make their way into the country.  more...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Welcomes Newest Member to Atlanta’s Canine Team

Atlanta, GA ” CBP welcomes it’s newest canine to the anti-terrorism team. Agro-terrorism that is. Do not let the big brown eyes; floppy ears and cute face fool you. Buttons the Beagle is one mean sniffing machine. She is the latest member to the group of Agriculture canines that have a very important mission in assisting CBP with the mission of preventing terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States. more...

T R A D E

Japan in surprise trade deficit

Japan has posted its first monthly trade deficit in five years, and its biggest in 23 years.

President Signs Bill Repealing Byrd Amendment, Cotton Subsidy Program
10 Feb 2006, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg’s WTI

On February 8, President Bush signed into law a bill that repeals both the Byrd Amendment and the Step 2 agricultural subsidy program in order to comply with WTO rulings. The Byrd Amendment provision will allow the distribution of antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty revenues on entries made until October 1, 2007. The Step 2 program will be eliminated effective August 1, 2006.

South Central Wisconsin Gets
Foreign Trade Zone

The Foreign Trade Zones Board of the U.S. Department of Commerce granted authority for Dane County to establish a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) on December 13.

A Foreign Trade Zone is a specific area within the United States, located in or near a port of entry, where certain types of merchandise can be imported without going through formal customs entry procedures.  The goods are not considered to have entered U.S. commerce until they are sold and leave the zone.  This can help a company’s cash flow and saves substantial dollars. more...

El Salvador in US Free Trade Deal

The US has formally agreed a free trade pact with El Salvador but has told five more Central American nations that they must do more to finalize similar deals. more...

E X P O R T

Project Shield America
is an integral part of the U.S. strategy of preventing illegal exporters, targeted foreign countries, terrorist groups, and international criminal organizations from trafficking in Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and their components; obtaining and illegally exporting licensable commodities, technologies, conventional munitions, and firearms; exporting stolen property; and engaging in financial and other transactions which support these activities or which violate U.S. sanctions and embargoes. more...

Foreign Regulatory Changes That Could Affect US Exports
24 Jan 2006, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg

According to the Department of Commerce’s (DOC) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the WTO has been notified by the following countries of proposed regulatory changes that may affect US exports of the products indicated. More detailed information on the nature of the proposed changes can be accessed on the NIST website.

• Brazil – textile products • Brazil – plastic packaging with trigger spray • Costa Rica – quantity of product in prepackages • Denmark – waste packaging  • Ecuador – portable fire extinguishers • El Salvador – quantity of product in prepackages • Hungary –file management software • Hungary – construction products, fire protection products (fire alarm, fire extinguisher, fire prevention, etc.), flammable or explosion dangerous equipment, machinery and tools (the utilization, installation, reserving, and conformity assessment of these products) • Kenya – gasoline • Nicaragua – quantity of product in prepackages • Philippines – food additives • South Africa – stoves and heaters

Mandatory Export e-filing Coming
25 Jan 2006, JOC Online 

Shippers who have dragged their feet in adopting automation will soon have no choice but to file their export documents electronically to the U.S. Census Bureau and Customs and Border Protection.

The government is poised to publish its final rule for the mandatory filing of export documentation through the Automated Export System. While an exact date is not yet set, the target date [will be] sometime this summer. more...

Trade Information Center
http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/tic/ce_mark/ceintro.htm

The CE mark (an acronym for the French "Conformite Europeene") certifies that a product has met EU health, safety, and environmental requirements, which ensure consumer and workplace safety.  more...

Red Flags  Indications of Potential
Illegal Exports

The United States government solicits the assistance of private industry to provide information relating to suspicious acquisitions of high technology and munitions items, or services relating to these items. The following are possible indicators of illegal exports or diversions:

The customer is willing to pay cash for a high value order rather than use a standard method of payment, which usually involves a letter of credit.

The customer is willing to pay well in excess of market value for the commodities.

The purchaser is reluctant to provide information on the end-use or end-user, of the product.

The end-use information provided is incompatible with the customary purpose for which the product is designed.

The final consignee is a trading company, freight forwarder, export company, or other entity with no apparent connection to the purchaser.

The customer appears unfamiliar with the product, its application, support equipment, or performance.

The packaging requirements are inconsistent with the shipping mode or destination.

The customer orders products or options that do not correspond with their line of business.

The customer has little or no business background.

Firms or individuals from foreign countries other than the country of the stated end-user place the order.

The order is being shipped via circuitous or economically illogical routing.

The customer declines the normal service, training, or installation contracts.

The product is inappropriately or unprofessionally packaged (e.g. odd sized/re-taped boxes, hand lettering in lieu of printing, altered labels, or labels that cover old ones).

The size or weight of the package does not fit the product described.

"Fragile" or other special markings on the package are inconsistent with the commodity described.

C H I N A

New Chinese Airports Offer Opportunity for Wisconsin Suppliers

Because of continuing economic development, China is rapidly expanding the number and size of its airports, especially in the southwestern parts of the country. The Wisconsin Trade Office in China will have a booth at an upcoming trade event for airport supplies and services and can represent Wisconsin exporters interested in the market.

China's aviation administration, the CAAC, currently has 37 airports under its authority in its southwest district, with the numbers expected to rise to 48 by 2010 and 60 by 2020. Statistics from the CAAC show that the air market in southwestern China has been booming in recent years. Air passengers have increased by over 34 percent in 2004 from the previous year. Key airports in this region will also be expanded to meet the increasing volume of passengers.   more...

USCG in Asian Expansion

THE US Coast Guard will expand its international presence this year, especially in the Far East and other parts of Asia, “amid an unprecedented boom in shipbuilding and commerce in this part of the world”. more...

Evergreen and Cosco in New Service

TAIWAN-based Evergreen Marine Corp and mainland China-based Cosco are launching a new China-US East Coast/Gulf all-water container service to provide additional capacity for shipping customers in the coming peak shipping season.

The new service, named CUE, will have the following port rotation: Shanghai - Yantian - Hong Kong - Colon - Savannah - Miami - Colon - Shanghai. Service will start in mid-March 2006. more...

E V E N T S   /   M E E T I N G S

NATIONAL MARITIME DAY, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION WEEK TO BE COMMEMORATED, CELEBRATED

Alexandria, VA (Feb. 23, 2006) – A little known American commemorative date is approaching on May 22.  Working behind the scenes, a group of Washington, D.C.-area maritime industry officials hope to make this an event one the whole nation embraces.

In 1933, Congress decreed May 22 as National Maritime Day.  Each year since it has been a day for the United States to observe its proud maritime heritage, honor the men and women who serve and have served as merchant mariners, and recognize the many benefits that result from our American maritime industry.  National Maritime Day also follows on the heels of National Transportation Week, which the U.S. Department of Transportation has announced will run the week of May 14-20. more...

Milwaukee World Trade Association

March 2006 MWTA March Program - Growth Strategies in Asia - Great Decision 2006 Lecture Series - Focus on Global Issues Website Helps Companies Crack the Difficult Japanese Market - John M. Shank receives Harry C Brockel Award - Cheaper International Flights - Mark your calendar today! Trade Conference - Tuesday, May 9th, 2006

http://mwta.com/Newsletters/2006mar/March2006.pdf

Thursday, March 2, 2006 Tripoli Temple
3000 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI
Be sure to attend this program. Not only is the content important and timely, but you will have the opportunity to experience Tripoli Temple, one of the most beautiful edifices in the state, adorned with mosaic tiles and gorgeous woodwork throughout.

Tom Peters to Keynote Wisconsin
Innovates! Conference

Internationally-renowned consultant and best-selling author Tom Peters will keynote the Wisconsin Innovates! Business Best Practices Conference, presented by Governor Jim Doyle, on March 28-29 at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee.

For registration information or to register for the conference, go to www.wisconsininnovates.com.

For additional information, contact Laura Raymonds, Commerce, at info@wisconsininnovates.com.

Tickets Go On Sale for Door County
Lighthouse Walk

2/25 - Tickets for the 13th Annual Door County (WI) Lighthouse Walk will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, March 1, 2006. The event, held the third full weekend in May, will take place May 20- 21 this year with highlights including the ability to tour the inside of the Sherwood Point Lighthouse as well as the ability to climb the tower at Cana Island.

"Over the past two years, nearly 2,000 lighthouse aficionados have climbed to the top of Cana Island, which is a rare opportunity for both locals and tourists alike" said Brian Kelsey, Executive Director of the Door County Maritime Museum. "We are thrilled that the United States Coast Guard has once again allowed us to open the tower to the public during Lighthouse Walk weekend, thus giving even more individuals the opportunity to climb to the top of Door County. I am certain we will have many repeats coming to Cana to climb her once more."

For more information visit the museum's website at www.dcmm.org

International Credit Executives

Friday, March 24, 2006

"Using Meyer-Briggs Type Indicator: Work Well with Others and Understand the Self" and "Region Review: Mexico"

Click for announcement and registration.

Overseas Office Directors' Visit
http://commerce.wi.gov/newsletter/2006/feb/overseas-directors.html

The directors of Wisconsin's Overseas Trade Offices will be making their annual visit to Wisconsin May 8-12, 2006. The directors will be speaking at several events and will also be available for one-on-one consultations about business opportunities in their individual territories.

The directors' tentative schedule includes presentations and one-on-one appointments in Milwaukee, Madison, Neenah, and Eau Claire. If your firm would like to schedule a meeting with one or more of the directors, contact Christine Stamm, phone: (608) 264-7824, cstamm@commerce.state.wi.us or Jennifer Winner, phone: (608) 266-0413, jwinner@commerce.state.wi.us.

H E L P F U L   W E B S I T E S

A new website, http://international.wi.gov,

has been introduced to help state residents find international resources and introduce Wisconsin to business people, travelers, and educators in other countries.  While the International Division at the Wisconsin Department of Commerce (Commerce) is the primary state agency involved with international activities, many other elements of state government are engaged in international activities.  Commerce has created the new website to link information on the various international services and programs in one useful location. The State of Wisconsin's international activities are not just limited to trade missions and promoting exports. 

Every year Wisconsin welcomes thousands of international students and we encourage Wisconsin students to study abroad in order to increase their ability to succeed in an ever more interconnected global community.  Cultural exchanges increase the bonds between Wisconsin and other regions.  More and more international tourists are discovering the joys of vacationing in Wisconsin.

The site provides links to the Departments of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection; Public Instruction; Tourism; Natural Resources; Financial Institutions; Workforce Development; and Administration plus the Wisconsin Arts Board, the UW-System, and the Technical College System.  The home page is currently viewable in Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.  Subsequent pages will be translated in coming months. 

ECRAT.COM

http://www.ecrat.com

Ecrat.com, which calls itself "Today's Bureaucrat and Assistant for Business & International Aid" has some useful features. Click on "Country Information", and you'll find links to country profiles, demographics, infrastructure, corruption indexes, cultural etiquette, government agencies, public health, human rights, trade agreements, and more. Click on "Tools & Resources" and you'll find links to calculators, calendars, dictionaries, translation sites, and government portals, to name a few.

FIRSTGOV

http://www.firstgov.gov

There are millions of pages on U.S. government sites, and it could get bewildering if not for FirstGov, the gateway to U.S. government sites. On FirstGov, you can search federal and state government Web sites, plus the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. Most of these pages are not available on commercial Web sites, so FirstGov is the place to start if you're looking for this kind of information. Businesses will want to click on the "Businesses and Nonprofits" tab, then click on "Information by Topic" to find what you're looking for. You can also search FirstGov by keyword, or just browse -- you can find links for everything from renewing your driver's license to buying earth-moving equipment at this site!