News About Our Sister City, Xiamen, China




WTCTB Monthly Newsletter: MARCH 2016 


On February 25, 2016, The World Trade Center Tampa Bay was pleased to host a presentation about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and this new trade treaty’s benefits for Tampa Bay businesses. The presenter was international business attorney Susan L. (Susie) Hoeller of the Hoeller Law Firm which has offices in Tampa Bay and NW Arkansas.  Attendees were World Trade Center Tampa Bay members and guests involved in exporting goods and services, international law, banking and marketing, and medical tourism. The TPP was signed on February 4, 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand. Twelve countries are signatories today: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States and Vietnam. These TPP countries currently produce 40% of global GDP and 26% of world trade.   Ms. Hoeller discussed the many benefits of TPP, including:
  • 18,000 tariff cuts for Made in America exports
  •  new “cumulation” rules of origin which will allow U.S. exporters to integrate supply chains in the TPP region
  • special provisions to help small and medium size U.S. businesses export
  • the lifting of restrictions and bans of the export of U.S. services like retail, communications, logistics, software and more    
  • science based food safety measures will replace other countries’ unfair barriers to the export of American agricultural products     
  • cutting edge rules to promote internet-based commerce, digital freedom and an open internet
  • a ban on “forced localization” – the discriminatory requirement that certain governments impose on U.S. businesses forcing them to place their servers and other facilities overseas in order to access those markets
  • new provisions to protect intellectual property creators and criminalize trade secret theft     
  • foreign state owned enterprises competing unfairly can be challenged by U.S. companies
  • strongest worker and environmental protections of any trade treaty
  • anti-corruption provisions
  • sustainable development and food security commitments
Ms. Hoeller also discussed some of the criticisms of the TPP by opponents including some of the current Presidential candidates in both parties. These criticisms include:
  • No anti-currency manipulation provisions
  • Predicted flood of more imports from the cheap labor countries
  • Consumers in countries with government bulk purchasing of drugs are concerned that these arrangements will be challenged by multi-national drug companies leading to higher prices
  • Concerns that TPP will expand multi-national companies power to challenge state owned enterprises and individual countries’ health and safety laws   
The participants discussed the significant geo-political and national defense aspects of the TPP, for example, the exclusion of China and Russia. Ms. Hoeller has concluded that the TPP will be very good for Tampa Bay area companies. She urged participants to contact their federal, state and local political representatives in support of TPP and noted that the mayors of both Tampa and St. Petersburg have publicly supported the treaty.  The time for TPP supporters to act is now because the Congressional ratification vote is expected later this spring.  



ANNOUNCEMENTS


WORLD TRADE MONTH:  MAY

Tampa Bay International Town Hall at Port Tampa Bay

Friday, May 6, 2016  - The Tampa Bay Export Alliance (TBEA), a partnership  between the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation and Pinellas County Economic Development, will host the 2016 Tampa Bay International Town Hall.  WTCTB will be present at the expo, so please stop by and visit our booth!

  Port Tampa Bay, Cruise Terminal Two, 651 Channelside Dr. Tampa, FL  33605

Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and program from 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

WTCTB members use promo code WTCTB for $10 discount

 MEMBER NEWS



  Notes From our Executive Director

Friends,                                                

Happy (Chinese) New Year!…here are some “thoughts” about the Year of the Monkey! (Please note that the WTCTB does not take responsibility for any actions you may take based upon the following description…haha.)

The Year of the Monkey is the time to shake things up and create change. Even the most ambitious plans can succeed. There will be more than enough action and opportunity to keep you busy. In Monkey year, it’s fine to just make it up as you go along.   Those born in Monkey years (1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016) are intelligent, witty, mercurial, and entertaining. They are wonderful to be around because they are also fun and creative. Monkeys embody strong leadership potential and, like their best friend the Dragon, won’t allow anyone to tell them what to do. The uninhibited Monkey rarely gets embarrassed by anything, and is free to express himself/herself fearlessly in all walks of life.

XIAMEN

The government in Beijing will try to summon Monkey power this year as it decides how to handle the continuing debt restructure and demand issues within the Chinese economy.   In February I visited the City of Xiamen in Eastern China directly across from Taiwan. Xiamen (like many of the coastal cities) certainly does not yet appear to be suffering during this downturn in the economic cycle. It is a typical second-tier China port city with dozens of cranes adding to the skyline, a bustling container facility and new international airport terminal.  Due to its geographic location (close to Taiwan with temperate weather), Xiamen has received significant recent investment for business and tourism expansion projects. The growth is impressive and Xiamen is posed to continue to take advantage of its geographic location.

While in Xiamen, we visited several bio-tech research facilities (including international companies) and observed some interesting facts about the business environment. Although bio-tech research facilities tend to operate inexpensively compared to the clusters around Shanghai, the determining factor per comments from management for locating in Xiamen was the research organizations' ability to maintain privacy and avoid prying eyes of colleagues and competitors (and government). Maybe there is something to be said for keeping a low profile in the new Chinese economy.

I should also mention that Xiamen offers some unique culture and excellent natural scenery. I highly recommend a visit to Gu-lang-yu - an island community developed during the period when Xiamen was a foreign concession.  Be warned of sometimes crowded conditions and bring walking shoes... but overall a worthy excursion to see the preserved architecture (including three churches on this small island).  More examples of classic homes on the WTCTB website.   Please contact the WTC if you would like to know more about doing business or visits to China.  




Become a WTCTB member today!  Please access our website at the below link to download an application and read about our member benefits. There are membership levels available for both individuals and large corporations, as well as student and veterans memberships. 
For more information please contact Meredith Cernuda at mcernuda@wtctampa.com  



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Coming Events Sent March 22, 2016

Coming Events

Annual Meeting / Annual Report

Election of Officers

11:30 am Tuesday April 5, 2015 

Sarasota Yacht Club
Address: 1100 John Ringling Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34236
Phone:(941) 365-4191

The luncheon will open at 11:30 a.m. with lunch at noon. The meeting will commence at noon and will be chaired by President Beth Ruyle-Hullinger.


The agenda for the meeting include the Annual Report by the President, the distribution of the Revised Bylaws, and the Nomination and Election of Officers.

RSVPs, meal selection and $25 payment are requested by April 1, 2016 to meet requirements of the Sara Bay Country Club. All meals coffee, tea or soda; cash bar is also available.

RSVP to Gail Sanderson (gsanderson@tampabay.rr.com)
with your menu choice.



ANNUAL MEETING
SARASOTA SISTER CITIES
at the

Sarasota Yacht Club
1100 John Ringling Blvd.
Sarasota 34236

11:30am
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
 
Menu Choices:  (choose one)
 
#1 Chicken Florentine, with vegetable, potato/rice & dessert

#2 Chef’s Salad & dessert

#3 Vegetarian – Chef’s Selection - & dessert
 
 
Payment & Notification of Menu Choices:
 
Send check for $25 to Sarasota Sister Cities, 1565 First St., Sarasota, FL 34236 and email Gail Sanderson (gsanderson@tampabay.rr.com) with your menu choice
 
OR
 
Pay online for luncheon at sarasotasistercities.org and click on Payments in the menu bar and pay.  Then email Gail Sanderson (gsanderson@tampabay.rr.com) with your menu choice
 
  





2009 People and Places - Award Winning Photos for Sarasota Sister Cities

Photos of China

Social Networking Report March 2016

Social Networking Report March 2016

We are emailing our members several times each month with notices of events. It is a fine line from informing our membership and sending too many emails. Hopefully we have reached the correct balance. Dave Haralson and I have been splitting the duties. It is a good idea to have two or more people emailing our membership in case on of us is hit by a bus on a Sister Cities trip.

We publish our schedules, info and photos on our Newsletter Blog - click:   sarasotasistercities.com

You can post information and photos and interact with others on the addresses below. All of our members and friends are encouraged to join us. These systems work best if we have a number of our members posting. 

We now have 131 followers on our Twitter site.  Check it out. It is easy to create an account and post directly yourself. And prove to everyone that you are up to date.


We continue our efforts with our Facebook page. If you use Facebook please check out our page, and contribute thoughts, ideas, and events.
We also continue our efforts on LinkedIn and Pinterest.


LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/sarasotasistercities

Pinterest pinterest.com/sarasotasister
And of course our Web Site


We have many photos on line. You can see them on our Pinterest page or see them from the left column of the blog. Or Click Here.

If any of you would like to help improve our social marketing systems give me a call or send me an email or just jump in and start posting to our Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or Twitter addresses. And if you know anyone who can help with this effort please put me in contact with me.

I continue to post news releases with little success. It is easy to write a news release on the Tampa Bay News Wire and theoretically the papers will pick this up. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

News Release tampabaynewswire.com

Pauline Mitchell did an outstanding job on the One World Award Luncheon and with the sign below which we can use when we go on the road.





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