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Export Alert!!!
Due to the Olympics and Special Olympics, China has been severely restricting many imports and will continue to do so until after the Special Olympics in October. The types of shipments being held up now and through October are the following:
1.) Liquids in small packages - not being allowed in at all.
2.) Hazardous Materials - very restricted and many not being allowed in.
3.) Small Packages - being severely scrutinized by Customs and may not be allowed in.
Normal, cargo-sized shipments are not likely to be affected. Exporters may wish to work with a freight forwarder to get their shipment into an LCL (consolidated shipment).
Trade Center Welcomes Taylor Little
The New Hampshire International Trade Resource Center and the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Service, Portsmouth, welcomed its newest member, International Trade Specialist, Ms. Taylor Little, on Monday June 9, 2008. Ms. Little fills the position left by Terry Fisher, who joined the private sector in March 2008. Ms. Little received a Master’s degree in European Politics, Policy and Society from the University of Bath in Bath, England. She also completed a B.A. in Comparative Literature, a B.S. in French and a minor in International Studies from Penn State University. Ms. Little joins the office with considerable international experience, having lived and studied in Scotland, Czech Republic and France, in addition to having worked in Quebec, Canada and Lintong, China. Ms. Little completed an internship at the New Hampshire International Trade Resource Center (NHITRC) in Fall 2007. She will work primarily with clients in the Giftware and Consumer/Home Goods, Information and Communications Technologies, Healthcare Technologies and Services industries.
The Census Bureau's Foreign Trade Division will be requiring mandatory filing of export information via the Automated Export System (AES). This final rule was published in the Federal Register on June 2, 2008. The FTR will become effective 30 days from the date of publication on July 2, 2008. For more information, click here.
John Bruton, European Union Ambassador to the United States and former Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach), spoke at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College on Thursday, May 29th. While Prime Minister, Ambassador Bruton presided over a successful Irish EU Presidency in 1996 and helped finalize the Stability and Growth Pact, which governs the management of the single European currency, the Euro.
Since taking up his position in Washington in 2004, John Bruton has met with the President and former Presidents of the United States and visited governors, mayors, business leaders and students in over 20 US states to explain that the expanding European Union is good for the US economy and good for American jobs. In Washington, DC, Ambassador Bruton has had one-to-one meetings with over 250 Members of Congress to explain major EU developments and discuss the importance of the EU-US relationship in matters of trade, counterterrorism, public health, energy, the environment and the promotion of peace, democracy and human rights around the world.
Harmonized Tariff Schedule Change:
Seven additional Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) numbers have been added to the AES Import Concordance and may be used to report export commodities. Twelve (HTS) numbers have been deleted.
The following seven HTS numbers have been added: 4412100500, 4412109000, 4418729100, 4418729500, 7506100500, 7506200500, 8527994000.
The following twelve HTS numbers have been deleted: 4412100000, 4418729000, 7506104500, 7506106000, 7506204500, 7506206000, 8205594000, 8527992010, 8527992020, 8527992030, 8527995020, 8527995040.
ITRC Participates in its Second “Invest in America” Event (May 8, 2008)
The ITRC is organizing the Invest in America event on May 8 at Lonza, a Swiss life sciences company with a production facility at the Pease Tradeport in Portsmouth (www.lonza.com). Invest in America is an initiative of the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration to promote foreign direct investment to the US (http://trade.gov/investamerica/). Since Invest in America was launched in March 2007, the ITRC has been an active participant in promoting the Granite State as an ideal destination for foreign investments, including representing the state at the first Invest in America event last year at the Medica trade show in Germany. Federal, state and local officials, as well as members of the press will be visiting Lonza’s facilities. Commissioner George Bald and DED Director, Michael Vlacich, will also be attending this event. This site visit at Lonza is part of Invest in America Week (May 5 through 9), where similar events are happening concurrently across the US to publicize foreign-owned companies that have invested in the local economy, created jobs and contributed to economic growth. Lonza has been chosen as a premier example of such a company within the State of New Hampshire.
Republic of Rwanda’s Ambassador to the US Visits New Hampshire (May 16, 2008)James Kimonyo, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the United States, will be visiting New Hampshire on May 16 and meeting with businesses and officials to discuss business and trade opportunities. Details of this visit are being planned. Please contact the ITRC for more information.
Eastern Trade Council Trade Mission to South Africa (November 7-15, 2008)The Eastern Trade Council (ETC), in cooperation with the South African Department of Trade and Industry, will lead a trade mission to Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town from November 7 through 15. This trade mission features individualized matchmaking services and networking opportunities, and is an ideal vehicle for small and medium-sized companies to acquire valuable market information and meet prospective business partners. Richard Zurba, the ETC representative in South Africa, will be visiting the ITRC this summer to discuss this upcoming trade mission. New Hampshire is one of ten states participating in this event (other states include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont). South Africa is a growing market that presents significant opportunities for New Hampshire businesses. In March 2008, the state welcomed the first official visit of South Africa Consul General Fikile Magubane, who met with Governor Lynch and members of the political and business communities regarding trade between New Hampshire and South Africa.
Medica 2008 in Dusseldorf, Germany (November 19-22, 2008)
The ITRC will be organizing participation in Medica 2008. Medica is considered the world's largest and most prestigious medical technology and equipment trade show. Last year, Medica featured 4,400 exhibitors and over 137,000 visitors from 100 countries. Featured products include: medical equipment and services; hospital equipment and supplies; laboratory technology and pharmaceuticals; diagnostics; building engineering; communication technology; therapeutics and orthopedics. The ITRC participated in Medica in 2007, where it was part of the Best of New England pavilion and promoted New Hampshire as an ideal place for business investments in the first Invest in America event.
ITRC Signs Agreement with OPIC
The ITRC has recently signed an agreement with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) to become a designated loan originator under OPIC’s new Enterprise Development Network (EDN) program. The EDN is an alliance among OPIC, various private and public sector entities, and designated financial lenders working together to assist US companies seeking to invest in projects overseas. As loan originators, the ITRC will help NH companies obtain financing for overseas projects, particularly in emerging or developing markets.
Trade Winds Europe
The ITRC and several NH companies recently participated in Trade Winds Europe, a trade mission sponsored by the US Department of Commerce that took place in Turkey from April 14 through 16. While at Trade Winds, ITRC Director, Dawn Wivell, had the opportunity to meet with Turkish media, including Fortune and Newsweek, and do a press interview with Israel Hernandez, Assistant Secretary for Trade Promotion and Director General of the US & Foreign Commercial Service.
Launch of New Hampshire’s Global Marketing Consortium for Medical Technologies
The ITRC was pleased to launch New Hampshire’s first Global Marketing Consortium for Medical Technologies on March 25, 2008. Commissioner George Bald was present and delivered opening remarks to a well-attended audience of New Hampshire companies representing a wide spectrum of medical products and services. Dawn Wivell gave a presentation about the medical technology sector worldwide, significant global trends and market opportunities, as well as resources that are available to help companies remain competitive in this high-growth sector. The companies then participated in a roundtable discussion about collaborative efforts to increase their foreign sales.
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