On Tuesday, November 9th, WITA and the International Trade Center DC welcomed Frank Lavin to discuss his new book, “The Smart Business Guide to China E-Commerce“, and looked at how consumer brands can take advantage of this revolution in Chinese consumer behavior.

WITA Webinar Featuring:

Frank Lavin, author of “The Smart Business Guide to China E-Commerce“, Chairman of Export Now

Andrew Gelfuso, Vice President, Trade Center Management Associates

Maxwell Kahn, President, Coresight Research

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Frank Lavin is the CEO and founder of Export Now, a U.S. firm that operates e-commerce stores in China for international brands. Established in 2010, Export Now is the largest off-shore operator of China e-commerce stores, helping brands from around the world in strategy and operations.

In Government, Lavin served as Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce 2005-2007. In that capacity, Lavin served as lead trade negotiator for both China and India and was the senior policy official in the Department responsible for commercial policy, export promotion, and trade negotiations across the globe. Lavin was U.S. Ambassador to Singapore from 2001-05, where his duties included helping negotiate the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

In the private sector, Lavin served in senior finance and management positions in Hong Kong and Singapore with Edelman, Bank of America, and Citibank.

Previously, Lavin served in the George H.W. Bush and Reagan Administrations, working in the Department of Commerce, Department of State, National Security Council, and White House. Lavin served as Director of the White House Office of Political Affairs.

Lavin earned a B.S. from the School of Foreign Service (Georgetown); an M.S. in Chinese Language and History (Georgetown); an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from the School of Advanced International Studies (Johns Hopkins); and an M.B.A. in Finance at the Wharton School (Pennsylvania).

He is a columnist for Forbes.com and has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and other Periodicals. Lavin is the author of “The Smart Business Guide to China E-Commerce,” (Penguin), and co-author of “Export Now,” (Wiley) on market entry strategies. He also authored a World War II history book, “Home Front to Battlefront” (Ohio University Press).

Lavin serves as a Trustee of The Asia Foundation. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Advanced MedTech Holdings, a medical technologies company. He is a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Directors and on the Advisory Board of ECIPE, a Brussels think-tank. Lavin previously served as Steering Committee Chairman of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo USA Pavilion. Lavin served as a Lt Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves.

Maxwell Kahn is the President of Coresight Research. Maxwell hails from the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia Business School. He began his career at McKinsey and then he further developed his expertise in the consumer at Johnson & Johnson and Merck in both operating and venture investing roles.

Before Coresight, Max spent five years between two roles for Wiser Together as a board member and ultimately CEO. Max understands the importance of delivering a great retail experience supported by strong technology. This expertise has exemplified his career in banking, consulting and investing.

Andrew F. Gelfuso is Vice-President at Trade Center Management Associates (TCMA), a privately held, wholly owned subsidiary of the Boston based Drew Company. TCMA serves as the fullservice, property management company for the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. This facility is also designated as the official World Trade Center of Washington, DC, which is part of the global network of the Centers with affiliates in over 90 countries around the world. As Vice-President, Mr. Gelfuso leads the global mission of the Center while focusing on international business development, program promotion, business matchmaking, outreach, trade counseling, strategic partnerships, government, and diplomatic relations.

Under Mr. Gelfuso’s leadership, the Office for Trade Promotion is responsible for driving the Congressional mandate of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center and for positioning the Center to be Washington’s focal point for a wide array of international trade, cultural, and educational programming.

Mr. Gelfuso graduated in 1997 from Hobart College in Geneva, New York, with a degree in Political Science. He earned his MBA with a concentration in International Business in 2001 from Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. In the spring of 1996, he earned a certificate from Vietnam National University in Vietnamese. Mr. Gelfuso has authored articles on international trade which have been published in several newspapers.

Mr. Gelfuso serves on the board of the Embassy Series, the Corporate Committee for the National Trust for the Mall, the District Export Council of DC/VA (DEC), and serves as an advisor on the Administration’s Industry Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC) appointed by the Secretary of Commerce.

The post WITA Webinar: How Consumer Brands Can e-Succeed in China appeared first on WITA.

On February 25, 2021, WITA held an event looking into the effects of the pandemic on global supply chains.

The global pandemic, spreading around the world for over a year, has massively disrupted global supply chains. This has undermined the delicate equilibrium at the world’s ports, where the interests of consumers, farmers, and manufacturers meet shipping, air freight, rail, trucking, and logistics.

PROGRAM AGENDA

Welcome

• Kenneth I. Levinson, Executive Director, Washington International Trade Association

Remarks and Panelist Discussion

• Karyn Booth, Partner and Transportation Practice Group Leader, Thompson Hine LLP
• Dr. Noel Hacegaba, Deputy Executive Director / COO, The Port of Long Beach
• Nate Herman, Senior Vice President, Policy, American Apparel & Footwear Association
• Weston LaBar, Chief Executive Officer, Harbor Trucking Association
• Moderator, Lori Ann LaRocco, Sr. Editor of Guests, CNBC Business News, Breaking News/Booking

Followed by: 

• Q & A with Audience Moderated by Ken – Webinar attendees are encouraged to use the Q&A function on the Zoom app to submit their questions in real time.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Karyn Booth is a partner and leader of Thompson Hine’s Transportation group. Karyn represents US importers and exporters, and 3PLs and NVOCCS, on international ocean shipping and related intermodal transportation matters. She has been at the forefront of major policy reforms and proceedings before the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) involving demurrage and detention, passage and implementation of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998, and modernization of the rules governing cargo loss and damage occurring during sea transport. Karyn was counsel to the Coalition for Fair Port Practices which led the efforts at the FMC resulting in a rule on reasonable demurrage and detention practices and was an industry advisor to the US delegation that negotiated the Rotterdam Rules before UNCITRAL. She serves as general counsel to The National Industrial Transportation League, one of the nation’s oldest organizations who serves as the “voice of the shipper” in freight transportation policy matters and is a recent past President of the Association for Transportation Law Professionals.  

Karyn has been consistently recognized for her work in transportation law by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The Best Lawyers in America, and Washington, DC Super Lawyers. America’s Leading Lawyers named her “Lawyer of the Year” in Washington D.C. in 2017. 

Karyn’s practice is multi-modal and she is a strategic advisor for companies on compliance with transportation laws and regulations and has extensive experience with contracts involving ocean carriers, 3PLS, NVOCCs, warehouseman and other service providers. Based in Washington, DC, she routinely practices before federal transportation agencies, such as the FMC, Surface Transportation Board (STB), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

Dr. Noel Hacegaba is responsible for managing the day-to-day administration and operations of the Port of Long Beach, North America’s second-busiest container port. Previously, he served as the Port’s Chief Commercial Officer and successfully managed the Port’s commercial operations during a period of significant industry realignment. He led the recovery of its largest terminal following the biggest bankruptcy in shipping line industry history, setting the path for record cargo volumes in 2017 and 2018.

Dr. Hacegaba has more than 24 years of public and private sector experience spanning a variety of industries. Prior to joining the Port, he managed $200 million in contracts for a Fortune 500 company. Dr. Hacegaba is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he earned degrees in economics (BA and MA), business administration (BS) and planning (MPL). He also earned his doctorate degree in public administration from the University of La Verne.  

He currently serves on the Boards of various industry and non-profit organizations, including the Marine Exchange of Southern California and the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), where he serves as Chairman of the Board.

Nate Herman oversees AAFA’s government relations department, managing the association’s lobbying, policy, and regulatory affairs activities. Nate leads AAFA’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, formulating and implementing CSR policy and representing AAFA and the industry on CSR issues before governments, NGOs, and other key stakeholders. In addition, Nate develops all apparel and footwear industry data and statistics as AAFA’s resident economist.

Prior to joining AAFA, Nate worked for six years at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration assisting U.S. firms in entering the global market. Nate spent the last two years as the Department’s industry analyst for the footwear and travel goods industries.

Nate received a Masters of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh in 1994 and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Economics from the University of Delaware in 1992.

Weston LaBar is the Chief Executive Officer of the Harbor Trucking Association and founding President and CEO of Ventures 52 a bespoke Private Equity Advisory focused on early-stage freight technology start-ups. He has a decade of experience as a strategic advisor and executive while managing trade associations, as well as large advocacy and external affairs projects. He is active in local, state, and federal policy making on goods movement and international trade.

As CEO of the HTA, Weston has lead countless initiatives with other stakeholders in the global supply-chain to increase port productivity. The HTA has been an industry leader in developing and adopting technology solutions that create efficiencies with various partners and have become the industry voice for the national drayage community. 

Lori Ann LaRocco is senior editor of guests for CNBC business news. She coordinates high profile interviews and special multi-million dollar on-location productions for all shows on the network. Her specialty is in politics, working with titans of industry. LaRocco is the author of: “Trade War: Containers Don’t Lie, Navigating the Bluster” (Marine Money Inc., 2019) “Dynasties of the Sea: The Untold Stories of the Postwar Shipping Pioneers” (Marine Money Inc., 2018), “Opportunity Knocking” (Agate Publishing, 2014), “Dynasties of the Sea: The Ships and Entrepreneurs Who Ushered in the Era of Free Trade” (Marine Money, 2012), and “Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today’s Top Business Minds” (Wiley, 2010).

LaRocco has been working at the network since 2000. Her track record has garnered the trust and respect from Wall Street rainmakers to Washington. Establishing relationships with some of the best in business, LaRocco’s contacts have told her first of business deals in the billions of dollars, enabling CNBC to break the news first.

Prior to joining CNBC, LaRocco was an anchor, reporter and assignment editor in various local news markets around the country.

Kenneth Levinson is the Executive Director of the Washington International Trade Association (WITA). WITA is Washington’s largest non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to providing a neutral forum in the U.S. capital for the open and robust discussion of international trade policy and economic issues. WITA has over 4,000 members, and more than 170 corporate sponsors and group memberships.

Previously, Ken served as Senior Director for Global Government Affairs for AstraZeneca. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Ken served as Senior Vice President and COO at the Washington, DC consulting firm of Fontheim International. Ken started his career on the staff of U.S. Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, where he served as the Senator’s chief advisor for international trade, tax, foreign policy, and national security.

Ken received a Master’s degree in European History from New York University after doing his undergraduate work at the University of Massachusetts, in Amherst. Ken also spent a year studying at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Ken and his wife, the Reverend Donna Marsh, live in Bethesda, MD, with their two daughters.

The post WITA Webinar: COVID, Supply Chains and the Crisis at the Ports appeared first on WITA.

On Monday, February 8th, and Tuesday, February 9th, 2021, WITA hosted its third annual Washington International Trade Conference (WITC) for the first time virtually. This conference brought together leaders in both the public and private trade sectors to discuss pressing issues and trends surrounding trade policy. 

The event began with remarks from Kenneth I. Levinson, Executive Director of WITA, as he introduced the first group of panelists: Wendy Cutler, President and Managing Director at the Asia Society Policy Institute, Susan Shirk, Research Professor at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, Aaron L. Friedberg, Professor of Politics & International Affairs at Princeton University, and Ambassador Kurt Tong, Partner at The Asia Group, who shared their thoughts on how trade fits into the overall US-China relationship. 

The U.S. China panel was primarily focused around the overall US-China relationship and how trade fits into the larger picture. From joining the WTO to now, China has significantly increased its dominance in global trade, economic, and financial markets and has now become a credible threat to U.S. hegemony due to large economic pressure.

Looking forward to the Biden administration, the panelists discussed where we are now in our relationship with China, how the Biden review will be conducted, and how trade fits into this multi-faceted relationship. Over the past few months we have seen RCEP signed, the development of the China EU investment deal, and we have now heard talk about China reviving trilateral negotiations with Japan and Korea. The panelists explored the potential impact of the Biden review and present internal focus on China’s growing hegemonic status. 

The Trade & Environmental Sustainability Panel focused on the growing global concern of climate change and how this issue intersects with trade. As the United States has most recently rejoined the Paris Accords and a variety of new executive orders have underpinned the Biden administration’s focus on mitigating climate change, there has been a shift in the international system on the pertinence of this issue. It is important to recognize where the U.S. and its allies now stand on sustainable policies that influence trade and consider how realistic it would be for less developed countries to accommodate the necessary standard to fight climate change. 

The discussion focused on both the EU and New Zealand’s positions on climate change as they relate to trade and what we should center our negotiations on going forward. Although there is promise with the Biden administration on these issues, it is undetermined what the administration’s nationally determined contribution in the Paris agreement will be which will be an important indicator of the level of emissions and leadership role on climate change. The panelists were Amb. Robert Holleyman, Partner at Crowell & Morning LLP, C&M International, Amb. Vangelis Vitalis, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Madelaine Tuininga, DG Trade Head of Unit in the European Commission, and Himamauli Das, Senior Managing Director at K2 Integrity. 

The next panel centered around finding a way forward on digital trade and delved into the intersection between trade and technology. As more and more countries are considering how they may tax or regulate the space, this issue has become of increasing relevance. As digital tools are a crucial driver of U.S. economic growth, it is clear they present both an incredible opportunity for progress and new challenges. The panelists featured were Arrow Augerot, Director of America’s Public Policy at Amazon, Jason Oxman, President & CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council, Sahra English, Vice President of Public Policy at Mastercard, and Peter Swire, Senior Counsel at Alston & Bird LLP. 

The final panel of the day was the Ambassadors Trade Roundtable with panelists: Amb. Susan Schwab, Mayer Brown LLP, Dame Karen Pierce DCMG, British Ambassador to the USA, Amb. Nestor Forster Brazil’s Ambassador to the USA, Amb. Stavros Lambrinidis EU Ambassador to the USA, and Amb. Arthur Sinodinos Australia’s Ambassador to the USA. The ambassadors shed light on the trade landscape from their perspectives and offered insight into what is important in their countries in dealing with the U.S. and other trading partners. The discussion later touched on the future of the WTO and what each ambassador saw as top priorities for the organization to address.

The second day of WITA’s virtual conference program opened with remarks from Kenneth I. Levinson, Executive Director of WITA and Amb. Alan Wm. Wolff, Deputy Director General of the WTO. Amb. Alan Wolff shared his thoughts on necessary reform and revitalization of the WTO and how its role should evolve. Terence Stewart, author of the blog Current Thoughts on Trade, joined the discussion and gauged Amb. Wolff’s perspective on the WTO’s interest in engaging in more sectoral and regional trade agreements. 

The following panel built off of the previous discussion into a more in-depth conversation about WTO Revitalization & Reform from a broader group of perspectives. Many of the panelists highlighted the importance of improving our relationship with China, getting our dispute settlement system back on track and addressing pertinent 21st century issues such as those involving digital trade and climate change. The panelists featured were Amb. Rufus Yerxa, National Foreign Trade Council, Jennifer Hillman, Council on Foreign Relations, Simon Evenett from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and Hiddo Houben, EU Mission to the WTO.

The next panel centered around the question: “What would a Neo-Progressive Trade Agenda look like?” with panelists from around the world. The panel opened with an introductory discussion of how the WTO has lagged in recognizing the intersection of trade with other issues today and the importance of looking at things in a more wholistic way. Some of the speakers brought up issues related to the environment, gender and labor that requires a new model of trade in order to create shared prosperity and growth. The panelists featured were: Catherine Novelli, Listening For America, Beth Baltzan, American Phoenix Trade Advisory Service, Catherine Feingold AFL-CIO International Department, Katrin Kuhlmann, New Markets Lab, and Kimberley Botwright from the World Economic Forum. 

For the closing keynote and discussion of the conference, WITA was pleased to present Chairman Neal of the House Ways & Means Committee who offered his insight into the contours of trade policy in 2021 and Steve Lamar of the American Apparel & Footwear Association and WITA’s Board President. The Chairman stressed the importance of using trade tools to address many of the issues we face today and the promise of the Biden administration to tackle inequities and reassert U.S. leadership.  

The post 2021 Washington International Trade Conference Recap appeared first on WITA.

• Wendy Cutler, Event Cohost, Vice President and Managing Director of Washington DC Office, Asia Society Policy Institute
• Colin Bird, Director of Trade Negotiations (Multilateral and Americas) at Global Affairs Canada | Affaires Mondiales Canada
• Brody Sinclair, Trade & Economic Counsellor, New Zealand Embassy to the United States
• Julia Nielson, Deputy Director, Trade and Agriculture (OECD)

The post WITA Webinar: Global Trade Initiatives to Combat COVID-19 appeared first on WITA.

If the WTO’s Appellate Body will ceases to function after December, 2019, what are the implications for the functioning of the WTO and its ability to enforce existing agreements and to negotiate new rules and market access agreements?

On November 21st, WITA held an event where an expert panel looked at the crisis with the Dispute Settlement Understanding and the Appellate Body, and discussed where the World Trade Organization should go from here.

Featuring

• Stacy J. Ettinger, Partner, K&L Gates LLP
• Marvin Hildebrand, Minister (Economic), Embassy of Canada
• Jennifer Hillman, Senior Fellow for Trade & International Political Economy,Council on Foreign Relations
• Bruce Hirsh, Principal, Tailwind Global Strategies LLC & Of Counsel to Capitol Counsel LLC
• Terry Stewart, formerly, Managing Partner, Law

Also, listen to Bruce Hirsh do a deep dive on the Crisis at the WTO in his guest appearance on the Yeutter Institute podcast!

And don’t miss WITA’s own Crisis at the WTO Spotify Playlist!

The post The Crisis at the WTO: Where Do We Go From Here? 11/21/19 appeared first on WITA.

At an event on October 30, 2019, WITA held an event to discuss how the US government is implementing new laws on foreign investment and export controls on emerging and foundational technologies, as well as the Trump Administration’s Executive Order on Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain.

The post CFIUS, Export Controls, and the ICT Supply Chain Executive Order 10/30/19 appeared first on WITA.

The post The Trade Agenda: What’s at Stake for Developing Countries? by WITA 10/24/19 appeared first on WITA.

Summary: Introduction and Armchair Discussion with Rep. Kevin Brady

By Nikhil Raj

On Tuesday January 29, 2019, WITA hosted its inaugural Washington International Trade Conference (WITC). To kick off the event, WITA hosted an armchair discussion between Representative Kevin Brady and Ambassador Susan Schwab. Representative Brady currently sits as the Ranking Member of the influential House Ways and Means Committee, while Ambassador Schwab served as the United States Trade Representative under the Bush Administration from 2006-2009.

During the approximately 25 minute conversation between the two, several key topics in the trade world were discussed, including the recently agreed upon USMCA deal, US-China negotiations, and the future of US-EU trade relations.

Representative Brady was forceful in his defense of USMCA, saying that he believed it should be approved, citing its improvements in digital trade, customs, and locking in reforms on telecoms compared to its predecessor, NAFTA. That said, he was cleareyed about the fact that it would be a turbulent road to reaching that approval. In particular, he acknowledged that many Democrats were adamant about higher enforcement mechanisms in the deal for labor standards. Brady also mentioned that he had begun the process of briefing other members of Congress about what the deal entails alongside Vern Buchanan, who sits as the lead Republican on the Subcommittee on Trade.

Brady wondered aloud what Democrat demands would look like, while also making it clear that most members on either side of the aisle were ambivalent about moving forward with the deal while steel and aluminum tariffs on Mexico and Canada are ongoing. In his view, the USMCA deal was strong enough to stand by itself without any separate tariffs or quotas.

Rep. Brady was also broadly supportive of the President’s focus on challenging China on trade issues. Referencing the “Made in China 2025” strategic plan that the Chinese government is undergoing, he believed that structural reforms had to be made in the US-China relationship. While he was critical of China’s trading habits, he did not the importance of product exclusion within the larger framework of a trade deal in order to cause as little pain as possible within the global economic outlook. The main objective, he said, is to minimize the damage caused by an extended trade war while also accomplishing measurable reforms.

The conversation then switched to Europe, and the future of a potential US-EU trade deal. Brady was pleased to see President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker visit the White House and President Donald Trump, a man with whom he has had a sometimes contentious relationship. From a US standpoint, he believed a trade deal with Europe that didn’t include agriculture would not be an easy sale to the American public and members of Congress.

With regards to Brexit, and the ongoing political turmoil surrounding its terms in the United Kingdom, Rep. Brady made it clear that he wants to see an unconstrained trade relationship with one of the US’ closest allies no matter what happens. Finally, he touched on the future of the WTO, and expressed his support for working on tangible improvements.

Featuring:

Andrew Gelfuso, Vice President, Trade Center Management Associates

Kenneth Levinson, Executive Director, Washington International Trade Association

Laura Lane, President of Global Public Affairs, UPS

Ambassador Susan Schwab, Strategic Advisor, Mayer Brown

Representative Kevin Brady, Ranking Member, House Ways and Means Committee

To view more details about the event, visit the event page here.

The post WITC: Introduction and Armchair Discussion with Rep. Kevin Brady appeared first on WITA.

Featuring:

Clete Willems, Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economics and Deputy NEC Director at The White House in a discussion with Michael J. Smart, Managing Director, Rock Creek Global Advisors

To view more details about the event, visit the event page here.

The post G20 Leaders’ Summit: A Readout from the U.S. Sherpa, Clete Willems appeared first on WITA.

Featuring:

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