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

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has seized more than $10 million (over the last four months) in goods that were misdescribed in an effort to circumvent trade laws and regulations. CBP plays a critical role in enforcing trade laws and ensuring that appropriate revenue is collected.

Many different schemes are used to evade duty or quotas on textiles being brought into the country.  Some importers circumvent quotas by transshipment-changing the country of origin of their goods. Still others use false documents or labels or provide incorrect descriptions of the merchandise. Textile imports are especially important since they represent 43 percent of all revenue collected. "CBP is committed to facilitating and stimulating the flow of legitimate international trade and collecting import duties.  However, CBP also intends to maintain a robust trade enforcement program and textiles is a priority issue," said Acting Commissioner, Deborah J. Spero.

Import Specialists in CBP with specialized commodity knowledge analyze and review textile imports for possible violations. Focusing on this commodity has paid off with the seizure of several major shipments.

One of the enforcement tools being used is on-site verification of manufacturers. In November 2005, CBP Textile Production Verification teams traveled to foreign factories to review and verify that wearing apparel that is shipped to the U.S. is produced at those facilities.  The Textile Production Verification Teams reviewed 195 high-risk foreign factories. Of these, 70 were closed, 24 refused the team admission, 50 were considered high potential for transshipments and three had evidence that they were engaging in illegal transshipments.  As a result of these site visits CBP is currently in the process of seizing shipments with a domestic value of 1.3 million from any factory that was determined closed.

Sites are selected after extensive trade analysis. Countries are categorized based on risk for non-compliance with trade laws and policies.  Those countries that are identified as high-risk go to the top of the list for verification activities, but selection of individual manufacturers is also a result of the application of stringent targeting techniques. Verifications are ongoing and visits to additional locations are being planned.

CBP has initiated a special operation to address the misdescription of merchandise. Over the course of the last four months CBP has seized more than $10 million in misdescribed goods and identified a scheme to circumvent the China safeguards by misdescribing cotton merchandise as ramie which has a much lower rate of duty. In November and December 2005, over 2,000 additional examinations were conducted to identify smuggling and misdescription of merchandise. In addition to the seizures made, CBP import specialists identified significant Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) violations.

During fiscal year 2005, textile and wearing apparel reviews conducted by Regulatory Audit recommended recoveries of over $4, 974,000. In addition, discoveries of violations have been found in textile imports of the Caribbean Basin Trade Preference Agreement, the Singapore Free Trade Agreement, and classification errors resulting in more than $900,000 in recovered revenues.

CBP import specialists at the ports of entry are receiving extensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) training to target possible violation of FTA requirements in shipments entering U.S. trade. Yet another resource used to identify misdescribed merchandise are the CBP Laboratories. Laboratory analysis can establish the make-up of any textile product through chemical and fiber analysis. "CBP has an arsenal of tools to ensure compliance with laws and regulations governing imports," said Janet Labuda, Director, Textile Enforcement and Operations Division.  CBP will continue to use a multi-faceted, but complimentary approach consisting of trade pattern analysis, on-site verifications, review of production records, audits, and laboratory analysis to enforce our trade laws and to ensure that appropriate revenue is collected.  

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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.

"The wool, cotton, polyester, will not be pulled over our eyes," stated CBP Acting Commissioner, Deborah J. Spero. "Import and international trade specialists, laboratory and data analysts, auditors and attorneys are concentrating their efforts on enforcing our textile laws and are continuing to seize illegal goods.  We are also pleased to announce that, on the request of Congress, 45 textile enforcement personnel have been hired and are already reinforcing our textile enforcement efforts."

In a February 2, 2006, press release, CBP stated that $10 million in misdescribed textile products had been seized in the previous four months; since that reporting, products worth an additional $4 million have been seized. During the month of February, CBP has made a series of 25 seizures including illegal transshipments and misdescription of merchandise to avoid quotas. Investigations on these seizure cases are ongoing.   In addition to our continuing enforcement efforts, CBP is also initiating special operations to detect and deter fraudulent activity.

Last year, Congress appropriated an additional $4.75 million for CBP to increase textile enforcement efforts including hiring 45 additional personnel that would be solely dedicated to this effort.  A wide variety of personnel, including import specialists, international trade specialists, laboratory analysts, data analysts, auditors, and attorneys, have joined in CBP's ongoing efforts to enforce the laws and regulations governing the importation of textiles.  The majority of these positions are located in the field at the ports of entry.

Janet Labuda, Director, Textile Enforcement and Operations Division says that CBP will "use all available means—trade pattern analysis, on-site verifications, review of production records, audits, and laboratory analysis, to continue to vigorously enforce our trade laws and ensure that appropriate revenue is collected."

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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.

These canines can detect fruits, vegetables, meats or other prohibited items that may carry animal, pests, or plant diseases entering the United States, intentionally or by accident, which can cause serious damage to America's crops, livestock, pets, and the environment. This is especially important with the current concern of the Avian Flu Virus in other countries. Buttons can also detect prohibited birds and poultry products that might contain the deadly virus.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Canine Enforcement Program is protecting America as the largest and most diverse law enforcement canine program in the country. CBP’s canine program continues to diversify canine detection capabilities needed to combat terrorism, interdict narcotics, and other contraband while helping to facilitate and process legitimate trade and travel.

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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.

The trade balance fell to a 348.9bn yen ($2.95bn; £1.7bn) deficit in January against surpluses of 911.9bn yen in December and 193.9bn yen a year before.

Announcing the figures, the government said soaring oil prices and revived domestic spending had boosted imports.

The Japanese deficit was the largest since January 1983 and only the third in two decades.

'Temporary deficit'

But analysts and government officials said there were positives to be taken from the figures, as they show strong domestic demand.

Data also showed that exports continue to rise. While imports expanded 27% to 5.36 trillion yen, exports in January also rose strongly, by 13.5% to 5.01 trillion yen.

"We see this as a temporary deficit and expect surpluses to resume from here on," said Daisuke Yamazaki, economist at Goldman Sachs.

A separate set of figures also indicated that Japan's economy is continuing to strengthen, with the index of production activity in all industries rising to its highest level since 1988.

"Aside from the effects of high oil prices, growth in imports in general can be interpreted as a sign that domestic demand is robust, another reason to say the Japanese economy is on the right track," said Koji Kobayashi, senior economist at Mizuho Research Institute.

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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.

Benefits of using an FTZ include:

Duty Exemption - no duties or quota charges on products temporarily held in an FTZ before being re-exported

Duty Deferral - customs duties and federal excise tax deferred on imports until goods leave the FTZ.  A firm's cash flow can be helped by importing in large quantities just a few times a year and paying duties on smaller quantities as they are about to be delivered to customers

Inverted Tariff - when imported components are used to manufacture finished products, the finished products often face a lower duty rate than the foreign inputs

Logistical Benefits - companies using FTZ procedures may have access to streamlined customs procedures (e.g. "weekly entry" or "direct delivery").

The Dane County Regional Airport compiled the application for FTZ status and two parcels of airport-owned land are included in the initial zone.  Three additional, non-contiguous parcels in Dane and Colombia Counties were included in the zone so that tenants can use multiple forms of transportation - air, rail, and truck.  More parcels can be added later within the eight counties included in the new South Central Wisconsin FTZ (Dane, Sauk, Columbia, Dodge, Iowa, Jefferson, Green and Rock). There are currently two other Foreign Trade Zones operating in Wisconsin, in Brown County/Green Bay and in Milwaukee. To learn details about how a firm can use the benefits of the Dane County Foreign Trade Zone, contact Mr. Paul Tessmer, President of Capitol Warehousing Corp., ptessmer@capitolwhse.com, ph: (608) 846-9310 x237.

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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.

Congress sanctioned a Central American Free Trade Agreement (Cafta) last year but official implementation has been delayed by a series of legal wrangles.

The US complained that Cafta partners were failing to harmonize key laws and regulations, as obliged by the treaty.

But the US-El Salvador agreement will now come into force on 1 March.

Sticking points

The announcement, by the US Trade Representative's office, came ahead of a meeting between US President George W Bush and his Salvadorean counterpart Antonio Saca.

Washington has urged Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic to make greater efforts to bring domestic regulations into line with multilateral standards required by the treaty.

Rules governing meat inspection remain a major sticking point.

The US views certain countries' reluctance to recognize its own system as equivalent to their own as a barrier to its exports.

Critics of Cafta - designed to reduce trade barriers between the US and Central America - have claimed that the US has made unreasonable demands in certain areas.

"We hope and expect that we will be able to bring additional Cafta partners into the agreement soon," Rob Portman, the US Trade Representative said on Friday.

Costa Rica has yet to ratify the agreement.

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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.

How American Business Can Help

Project Shield America is not intended to restrict or discourage legitimate U.S. exports. It is designed to protect the technical accomplishments resulting from American ingenuity and labor, and to prevent our adversaries from achieving technological parity or gaining a military advantage through illegal acquisition of U.S. technology. To achieve success in this endeavor, the cooperation of the exporting community with U.S. ICE is essential. It should be strongly emphasized that all individuals, private sector and military, who are involved in any aspect of high technology research, development, production, or sales are potential acquisition targets. A company may consider a product that is being developed to be insignificant when compared to more publicized, sought after technologies, but it must be remembered that a small technological project could easily be the necessary component to a major technological development. U.S. ICE solicits your assistance in providing information relating to suspicious acquisition attempts or exports of critical technology, munitions items, or services.

U.S. ICE recommends that our Industry Partners implement an Export Management System (EMS). An effective EMS consists of the following elements:

• A policy statement demonstrating senior management's commitment to export control.

• Identification of positions within the company responsible for export control.

• An up-to-date training program for employees with exports responsibilities.

• A program for maintaining records in compliance with export regulations.

• Periodic internal review of the EMS.

• A procedure for dealing with violations or non-compliance of exports regulations.

• A strict policy of reporting suspicious orders or inquiries to U.S. Customs.

Our critical technology is an important asset to our National security and could be an instrument of intimidation or destruction in the hands of our adversaries. Only through the combined effort of U.S. ICE and the private sector can we preempt the flow of our technology to hostile countries and groups.

If you have information regarding international terrorism, violations of U.S. export laws, or economic sanctions and embargoes, and wish to speak to a U.S. ICE Special Agent, please call: 1-866-DHS-2-ICE. You will remain anonymous and could receive a cash award for your information.

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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. http://tsapps.nist.gov/notifyus/data/index/index.cfm

• 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

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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.

The move toward electronic filing has gained momentum even though AES has remained a voluntary program. Today, 96 percent of all eligible export shipments are processed through AES rather than in paper form. The government believes that after 10 years, it is time to make AES mandatory.  

When the final AES rule takes effect later this year, exporters will notice several changes. The hard copy of the shippers export declaration will cease to exist and will be replaced by the Electronic Export Information document.  

Also, shippers used to have four options for filing through AES, but they will now have only two options. Some exporters who ship sensitive merchandise or export to restricted countries will have to file their electronic export information documents before the shipment leaves the U.S. Many exporters will qualify to file their EEIs up to 10 days after the merchandise is exported.  

The government has also significantly increased the civil and criminal penalties associated with violating U.S. export documentation requirements.

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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.

. All manufacturers in the European Union (EU) and abroad must meet CE mark requirements where applicable in order to market their products in Europe. For a list of countries that require the CE mark, see: CE Mark Countries (http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/tic/ce_mark/CECountries.htm). Once a manufacturer has earned a CE mark for its product, it may affix the CE mark to its product, and then the product may be marketed throughout the EU without having to undergo further modifications in each member state. As 10 new "accession" countries, mostly from Central and Eastern Europe became EU members on May 1, 2004, the CE mark now provides product access to 25 countries with a population of 430 million.

Unfortunately, there is no comprehensive list of the products that require a CE mark. Therefore, it is the manufacturer's responsibility to determine if a product requires a CE mark. The "New Approach Directives" are documents that contain the legislation issued by the European Commission on the requirements that need to be met and procedures that must be followed in order for a particular product to be CE mark certified and to be sold in the EU.

In order to determine if your product needs a CE mark, you should look in each directive that you judge as related to your product. Our Guide to navigating the CE mark process is organized by directives: CE Mark Guide http://web.ita.doc.gov/ticwebsite/CEMArk.nsf/WelcomePage.htm . Under each directive, we explain the route to CE mark certification step-by-step and in one place.

Some products require the conformance to more than one directive. For example, the Safety of Machinery directive, the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) directive, and the Low Voltage Equipment directive may all apply to one product.

Many of the CE mark directives allow manufacturers to self-certify their products. Some examples for which manufacturers can self-certify include:
· Safety of Machinery Directive
· Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive
· Low Voltage Directive
· Class I products of the Medical Device Directive
· Most products covered by the Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE) Directive

Some examples of the directives that do not allow manufacturers to self-certify include:
· Simple Pressure Vessels Directive
· Appliances Burning Gaseous Fuels Directive
· Most products covered by the Pressure Equipment Directive
· Most products covered by the Equipment and Protective Systems in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Directive

If you are not permitted to self-certify your product, you will need to employ the services of a testing laboratory that is affiliated with a "European Notified Body" to test and certify your product for the CE mark. There are labs in the U.S. that subcontract for European notified bodies and are qualified to do the testing and certifying. We have provided a list of labs, including labs affiliated with notified bodies as well as labs that are not authorized to certify the product but can test products for compliance to European standards: Testing/Certifying Labs  http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/tic/ce_mark/celistoflabs.htm .

If you are permitted to self-certify your product, you may need to order the standards that apply to your product, particularly in the case of the Low Voltage and EMC Directives. We have provided sources for ordering standards and for locating CE Mark consultancy services: Consultants/Ordering Standards  http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/tic/ce_mark/cestandards.htm .

Once the manufacturer has conformed to the requirements laid out in the applicable directive(s), whether through self-certification or approval by a notified body, and has obtained a certificate/report from a lab to prove conformance, the manufacturer needs to affix the CE mark to its product. The manufacture must also include a "declaration of conformity" with each shipment stating which CE mark directive(s) has been met and include a signature of a company official indicating the company's responsibility for its CE mark compliance claim. We have provided an example of a declaration of conformity: Declaration of Conformity  http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/tic/ce_mark/cedeclarationconform.htm .

The exporter must maintain a file called a "technical file" containing the paperwork that proves conformity to the CE mark directive(s) covering its product. The exporter or authorized representative must be able to provide the supporting paperwork to prove CE mark conformity at any time, if requested by the appropriate member state authorities. See: Technical File Procedures  http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/tic/ce_mark/Cetechfile.htm  for a framework for compiling a technical file.

Finally, it is the manufacturer/exporter's responsibility to regularly check for and comply with any standards changes that might affect its product. Therefore, it is important to periodically visit the EU website http://www.newapproach.org that lists the CE mark directives and their standards.

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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.

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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.

To facilitate this expansion, the CAAC, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and the Sichuan Development and Reform Commission are sponsoring the Western China Airport Summit 2006 May 26-27 in Sichuan. This event is ideal for companies and service suppliers involved in areas such as:

• Airline Catering

• Currency Exchange Machinery

• Electronic Displays / Monitors

• Airport Design

• Traffic Control Systems

• Airport or Public Area Building Materials

• Public Area Equipment

• Cleaning Tools

• Emergency Response Equipment

• Emergency Response Vehicles

• Security Machinery

• Airport Management Consulting

• Freight Handling

• Baggage Handling Machinery

• Deicing Machinery

• Airport Vehicles

• Other Airport Operation and Construction Related Fields

The Wisconsin Trade Office will be sponsoring a booth and catalog exhibit with other Great Lakes states at the event. Staff will collect leads, summarize product needs, and supply attendee lists to participating Wisconsin firms. There is a $100 charge for the service. For more information on exhibiting or sending materials contact Paul Swenson, Director of Wisconsin's China Trade Office, phone: (011) (8621) 3228-3505, paul.swenson@thechinahand.com.

For more information on the summit and speaker program, visit www.westchinasummit.org/airport_Summit.php or contact:

Allan D. Peter
Deputy Secretary General
Organizing Committee Western China Airport Summit
Suite 17D, Jian Jing Building
No.1399, Beijing Xi Road,
Shanghai 200040
CHINA

phone: (011) (8621) 5169 6210
FAX: (011) (8621) 6247 3559
Email: allanp@gisconsult.net

-- Paul Swenson and Stanley Pfrang

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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”.

Speaking to personnel of US Coast Guard Activities Far East (FEACT), the commandant, Adm Thomas Collins said that the increased Coast Guard presence in the Far East is an important element in both maritime security and regional stability.

Although the U.S. Coast Guard traces its roots back to 1790 “we're really a young service when it comes to international affairs in a coordinated, structured way and we're just beginning to do that,” said Adm. Collins, who made an overnight stop at Yokota Air Base, Japan, prior to his arrival in China on Wednesday.

Speaking the previous day at U.S. Forces Japan headquarters to FEACT active duty, reservists, auxiliarists and civilian employees, as well as the FEACT detachment in Singapore participating via videoconference, Adm. Collins said it is vital for the US Coast Guard to expand the types of cooperative relationships that originated with Caribbean nations.

The Commandant noted that maritime forces in many countries are comfortable partnering with the Coast Guard because the size and missions of many foreign navies are more comparable to the U.S. Coast Guard relative to the other U.S. military services.

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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.

Evergreen says that it plans to provide additional service to South America using the service through connections to its North-South Americas shipping network from a dedicated terminal in Colon.

Vessel deployment on the CUE service will consist of nine 2,700 TEU vessels. Five will be operated by Evergreen and four by COSCO.

Meanwhile Evergreen Group chairman Y F Chang has been presented with the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award at the Lloyd’s List London Awards Dinner. A statement says that Dr Chang was chosen to receive this year’s award “in recognition of his many achievements, especially his rise from third officer on a small cargo vessel to become head of one of the world’s leading container shipping lines”.

After receiving the award, Dr Chang stated: “For me, this award has one strong message, that is, dream and dare, coupled with a set of ethoi that I term the three Cs: challenge, creativity and cohesion. “In the course of my professional life, failure has never been an option. For all of those now starting on their own careers, especially those who are choosing a life at sea as a starting point, I wish you a full and successful life.”

Evergreen started with just one secondhand tweendecker in 1968 and only took delivery of its first newbuilding tweendecker in 1972. Its first containership entered service in 1975 and, in 1984, Dr Chang launched his radical Round-the-World service: 24 brand-new ships sailing eastbound and westbound around the world linking Asia, North America and Europe. The Evergreen Group currently operates a fleet of over 150 vessels.

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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.

As a way to underscore the critical importance of the maritime industry to the national transportation network, this year the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), supported by the American Association of Port Authorities, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The Propeller Club of the United States, Waterways Council Inc., and other maritime groups, will introduce an awareness campaign designed to focus national attention on the maritime industry.  Called, “Maritime Matters,” the campaign will help to communicate the value of the maritime industry in relation to the economy, national security, jobs, environmental protection, agriculture, quality of life, recreation and more. 

For example, according to MARAD, our nation’s ports and coastal and inland waterways support the annual movement of more than 2.5 billion tons of domestic and international commerce.  They also generate significant local and regional economic development, support nearly 5 million jobs and provide facilities for some 8 million cruise and 113 million ferry passengers annually.

On May 22, commemorative activities will take place across the country–at seaports and along inland waterways—in combination with National Maritime Day observances in Washington, D.C.  To visit the Web site MARAD has developed to help U.S. ports and cities disseminate information on their respective National Maritime Day events, go to www.marad.dot.gov and click on the “National Maritime Day” toolbar.  This site provides up-to-date information on National Maritime Day commemorative activities across the country, along with a history of why the observance day came into being and how the maritime industry has evolved to touch each and every American life.

The American Association of Port Authorities was founded in 1912 and today represents 150 of the leading public port authorities in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition, the Association represents 300 sustaining and associate members, firms and individuals with an interest in the seaports of the Western Hemisphere. AAPA port members are public entities mandated by law to serve public purposes. Port authorities facilitate waterborne commerce and contribute to local, regional and national economic growth.

COPYRIGHT © 2006, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PORT AUTHORITIES

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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.

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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"

For announcement and registration  http://www.icewi.org/032406ICE.pdf

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.

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H E L P F U L   W E B S I T E S

 http://international.wi.gov,

A new website, 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. 

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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!