October 8-9, 2008: AES Compliance Seminar and Workshop

Be the first to attend the AES Compliance Seminar in Chicago since the release of the New Foreign Trade Regulations (FTR). CCBFA is sponsoring an Automated Export System (AES) Compliance Seminar and Workshop in Chicago, IL October 8 – 9, 2008.

The U.S. Census Bureau and port officers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will participate as presenters. The Census Bureau experts will teach you about export regulations, explain your responsibilities under the laws, thoroughly cover the filing of required export information through the Automated Export System (AES), and make sure you understand the Schedule B classification requirements. The CBP experts will thoroughly cover port requirements and efforts against terrorism and international narcotics trafficking. Participants will receive a certificate for attending the seminar. Contact us at http://www.midwestUSAChina.com

China Industry Intelligence and Market Research Reports Available

Artisan Business Group is an authorized distributor of Chinese industry intelligence and market research reports provided by a leading market consultancy in China. Categories include: agriculture, automobile, clothing/textile, consumer goods, electronics, energy/environment, machinery, manufacturing, construction, food/beverage,materials/chemicals, IT, telecommunication, service industry, medical/pharmaceutical, petroleum, transportation, and special interests such as high tech zones, logistics parks, investment environment, etc.

Contact us for price quote and details.

Introduction to Artisan Business Group - International Business Advisory in Springfield, Illinois

Brian Su, President, Principal Expert Advisor & Public Speaker
- Represented Internationally by the London Speaker Bureau Hong Kong

Mr. Brian Su has extensive experience in international trade, business development, marketing management, and strategic planning. Prior to founding Artisan Business Group, Mr. Su served Illinois governor Jim Edgar and assisted him in his trade mission to China in 1996 and helped him host a numbers of Chinese government and trade delegations.

Before coming to the U.S. in 1989, Mr. Su worked as a marketing manager for China Non-Ferrous Metals Import and Export Corporation. He has a MPA degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield in the U.S., and a Bachelor degree in English from Guizhou University in China. He is fluent in Chinese Mandarin and English. His extensive network of Chinese government and business connections, together with the amalgam of his Chinese background, U.S. education and multinational work experience, leave him well placed to bridge the business knowledge gap between the two cultures. Mr. Su is able to give his clients a unique inside view of what is happening in China found nowhere else. Mr. Su is also a public speaker, speaking on a wide range of China/Asia-related business and culture topics.

Mr. Su has facilitated many business and trade missions to China, and also assisted Chinese trade missions and government delegations to the U.S. He has won the trust and appreciation from clients both in China and the U.S. Mr. Su's clients include Armbruster Manufacturing Co., SSJ Law Firm, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the Ministry of Commerce PRC., The Morgans Hotel Group, American Airlines, the State of South Dakota, Illinois Soybean Association, the City of Hangzhou, the City of Chongqing, Nami Enterprises LLC., Midstates Enterprises Corp., The Public Safety Specialists Group, and various small business enterprises in both China and the U.S.

Mr. Su is also a leading authority of U.S. EB-5 investment marketing and promotion in Asia and the Middle East region. He has advised a number of executives and law firms on marketing their programs to global investors.

Mr. Su is an invited speaker for the 28th Annual Conference of the Association of Small Business Development Centers in September 2008.

Mr. Su also owns an international online marketing and promotion operation.

Log on http://www.midwestUSAChina.com for details.

China's auto imports rise 35% in value in first 8 months

China's auto imports jumped 35 percent in value in the first eight months from the same period last year, while exports surged 28 percent, according to the latest figure released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) on Monday.

The combined value in imports and exports rose 31 percent in the same period. The exact values and the sales volume in the imports and exports were not immediately available.

Germany surpassed Japan as the biggest motor vehicle supplier, contributing 33 percent of the total sales value. Japan took up 32percent.

Foreign-funded companies accounted for 37 percent of the country's total imports value, while joint-ventures imported 31 percent. That was followed by the state-owned enterprises with 20 percent share.

Beijing imported one third of the vehicles followed by Jilin with 18 percent. Guangdong took up 14 percent of the total imports value.

The CAAM data showed 19 percent of China's auto exports went to United States, while 10 and 7 percent were imported by Japan and Russia respectively.

Contact us at http://www.midwestUSAChina.com

Tibet sets up investment company to promote growth, development

Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region established its first investment company on Wednesday to promote economic development.

Tibet Autonomous Region Investment Co., Ltd. was funded by the regional finance department with a registered capital of 600 million yuan (87.6 million U.S. dollars).

The company will be a platform for capital financing, attraction of expertise and industry investment, said board chairman Wang Yunjin. Its business includes securities, funds, banking, real estate, transport, tourism and the high-tech sector.

Investment has played a key role in driving the growth of the region, which is still underdeveloped compared with the central and eastern coastal region.

Contact us at http://www.midwestUSAChina.com

Illinois Department of Agriculture Hosting Two Reverse Trade Missions

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has organized two reverse trade missions that will bring 70 foreign buyers to the state to shop for agricultural products.

The first trade mission, which begins Wednesday, Oct. 1, will take buyers on a three-day tour of the state's dairy industry. Stops include a dairy farm and a feed supplier in Quincy and a manufacturer of milking equipment in Naperville.

The second trade mission is scheduled Oct. 6 - 9 and will demonstrate Illinois' vast grain production and distribution capabilities. Potential foreign customers will visit the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center in Edwardsville, grain farms in Auburn and Champaign and a firm in Assumption that produces grain storage products.

"Our goal is to turn one-time visitors into long-term customers and increase agricultural exports," Acting Agriculture Director Tom Jennings said. "Agriculture is Illinois' top industry and much of its success is owed to foreign trade."

With sales of $3.8 billion, Illinois ranks as the fourth-leading agricultural exporter in the United States. Those sales comprise more than 40 percent of the industry's annual cash receipts.

"I like to think our Bureau of Marketing and Promotion has helped sustain Illinois' status as a world supplier of food and agricultural products," Jennings added. "Department-sponsored marketing activities such as these dairy and grain tours have generated $320 million in actual and projected sales for Illinois agribusinesses and food companies the past six years alone."

Each trade mission will have approximately 35 participants, primarily from Mexico and Columbia. Participants were recruited through the department's Latin American trade office in Mexico City.

Both tours will conclude with a trip to the Chicago Board of Trade and Mercantile Exchange. The itineraries follow:

Illinois Dairy Tour

Wednesday, Oct. 1
10:00 a.m. Silver Creek Farms, Quincy
1:15 p.m. ADM Alliance Nutrition, Quincy

Thursday, Oct. 2
8:00 a.m. University of Illinois Dairy Farm, Champaign-Urbana
2:15 p.m. Westfalia-Surge, Inc., Naperville

Friday, Oct. 3
9:30 a.m. Chicago Board of Trade and Mercantile Exchange, Chicago

Saturday, Oct. 4
Depart for World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis.

Illinois Grain Tour

Monday, Oct. 6
8:45 a.m. National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center, Edwardsville
12:30 p.m. Tim Seifert Farm, Auburn

Tuesday, Oct. 7
8:30 a.m. GSI, Assumption
2:30 p.m. Terry Wolf Farm, Champaign

Wednesday, Oct. 8
10:30 a.m. Marquis Ethanol, Hennepin

Thursday, Oct. 9
9:30 a.m. Chicago Board of Trade and Mercantile Exchange, Chicago

Visit http://www.midwestUSAChina.com

China Speaker Bureau

Are you looking for a speaker for your organization or business event? Mr. Brian Su can travel to your site and produce a customized presentation for your organization. Please contact us for details.

For international bookings, please contact Mr. Su's worldwide agent: The London Speaker Bureau Hong Kong - the largest speaker bureau in Europe and Asia.

"I would highly recommend Brian for any type of consulting that requires intimate knowledge of Chinese markets, customs and business practices. I hired Brian to brief our board of directors on how to do business with the Chinese. We often host Chinese guests who arrive as part of trade teams. We also occasionally send representatives to China to evaluate our research and investment pursuits we have there. Brian gave a very detailed and worthwhile presentation in a way that held everyone's attention. Brian is a very knowledgeable businessman who quickly gains the respect and confidence of others."

- Mark Albertson, Director of Marketing and Special Projects
Illinois Soybean Association

"It was a great pleasure meeting you at the ASBDC National Conference in Chicago. Thank you for the great knowledge transfer to us with your presentation. Please keep in touch!"

- Javier Martinez, Int'l Trade Advisor, The University of Texas Pan American

Brian Su has extensive experience in international trade, business development, marketing management, and strategic planning. Prior to founding Artisan Business Group, Mr. Su served Illinois governor Jim Edgar and assisted him in his successful trade mission to China in 1996 and helped him host a numbers of Chinese government and trade delegations. Before coming to the U.S. in 1989, Mr. Su worked as a marketing manager for China Non-Ferrous Metals Import and Export Corporation. He has a MPA degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield in the U.S., and a Bachelor degree in English from Guizhou University in China. He is fluent in Chinese Mandarin and English. His extensive network of Chinese government and business connections, together with the amalgam of his Chinese background, U.S. education and multinational work experience, leave him well placed to bridge the business knowledge gap between the two cultures. Mr. Su is able to give his clients a unique inside view of what is happening in China found nowhere else. Mr. Su is also a public speaker, speaking on a wide range of China/Asia-related business development, market strategies and culture topics.

Expertise and Topics:

• International Trade and Business Development

• Global Market Entry and Growth Strategies

• Small Business and Global Economy

• Cross Cultural Communication

Contact us at http://www.midwestUSAChina.com

International Credit and Forign Exchange Risk Management Seminar

The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center at SIUE and Commerce Bank are pleased to present the following program:

"International Credit and Foreign Exchange Risk Management: International Methods of Payment and Letters of Credit"
Tuesday, October 28, 2008. 8:30am - 1:00pm
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Morris University Center-Maple/Dogwood Rooms

This seminar will address the challenges of being paid for international transactions and will present key approaches to eliminate foreign exchange risk and optimize your competitiveness.
The following topics will be covered:

Credit Risk Management

• International Payment System
• Letters of Credit
• "Time Drafts" versus "At Sight Drafts"
• Documentary Collections

Foreign Exchange Risk Management

• Where Rates Come From
• Pricing Products in a Foreign Currency
• Eliminating Foreign Exchange Risk

Fee: $95 (by October 17) / $105 (after October 17). Includes continental breakfast, lunch, parking and handouts.

Speakers: Paul Toskin and Scott Petruska, Commerce Bank.

Contact us at http://www.midwestUSAChina.com