New Security Plan Floated to Expedite Global Trade

World Customs Organization endorses new standards based on US model

12/15/04 – The new WCO standards framework ''is designed to encourage cooperation between worldwide Customs administrations to secure international supply chains and facilitate the movement of goods,'' says US Customs and Border Protection chief Robert Bonner; the new standards will mirror several existing US programs including the Container Security Initiative, the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, and the 24-Hour Rule.

California Economy ''Stable, but Unspectacular''


12/14/04 – The most recent UCLA Anderson Forecast of the California economy blasts former Governor Gray Davis, current Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the State legislature for crafting a ''fiscally irresponsible budget'' by using ''financial maneuvering that, if used in your own business, would probably get you thrown in jail;'' California officials have ''manipulated state finances three times in an effort to pay back some of the state's $11.2 billion deficit,'' says one senior economist responsible for the new study.

China to Levy Textile, Apparel Export Tariffs


12/13/04 – Beijing has said it will impose tariffs on some textile and apparel exports in a move meant to defuse the concerns of US-based apparel manufacturers who fear the planned January 1 scrapping of the three-decades old World Trade Organization-mandated textile quota structure will result in a surge of Chinese textile products; the tariff ''will help encourage the export of high value-added products and optimize the mix of Chinese textile exports'' and ''will be set by considering the conditions of textile manufacturers,'' according to a government spokesman.

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KEEL LAID FOR NEW PRINCESS CRUISES' SHIP LBCT CONVERTS EQUIPMENT TO NEW FUEL SOLA INTERNATIONAL ACQUIRED BY ZEISS MEXICAN-GROWN AVOCADOS OK’D FOR IMPORT DANISH MILITARY CONTRACTS WITH SAVI THINK LONDON NAMES NEW CAL REPRESENTATIVE GATEWAY PLOWS NEW TURF IN MEXICO

Briefs

TRADE MANUFACTURING / ENGINEERING / CONSTRUCTION / ENERGY TRADE SERVICES / FINANCE / EDUCATION AGRICULTURE / ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY / BIOTECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY / TELECOMMUNICATIONS TRANSPORTATION / LOGISTICS ENTERTAINMENT / RETAIL / TRAVEL PEOPLE

Opinion

''Serious About Trade?'' Washington Post, 09/17/05 ''Promises, Promises'' New York Times, 08/22/05

Profiles

Dressed for Success: Crate Denim LOS ANGELES – There are few that would deny that the apparel business is one of the most competitive and vexing industry fields of endeavor. Fads give way to trends, and vice versa, on an almost daily basis as new styles and designs appear and then vanish only to resurface sometimes decades later sending yet another generation of creative, fashion-conscious designers and trend-setters off into still unexplored territory.

Calendar The latest news on trade-related events, conferences, and seminars across the state, the nation, and the world.

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