Copyright © 1997 Craig Snyder. All rights reserved.
What are the two biggest lies? "The check is in the mail," and "I'm with the government and I'm here to help." Well, in the case of the government and international trade, they really are here to help; it just takes time to learn how to get help.
The first stop on this whirlwind World Wide Web tour is the agency with the largest responsibility for promoting international trade: the U.S. Department of Commerce, specifically the International Trade Administration (ITA) The ITA has an overarching responsibility to promote trade, primarily on the export side of the equation. The U.S. Commercial Service is the principal agency within the ITA tasked to promote U.S. companies overseas. Get contact information, including email addresses for both the overseas offices and the domestic offices, at the site. The ITA provides a huge amount of information and research for most countries and industrial sectors around the globe. Additional research reports and information can be obtained from Stat-USA for a yearly subscription fee of $150.
The Import Administration is part of the ITA and is responsible for administering U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty laws. U.S. companies can petition the agency to investigate potential violations of U.S. law pertaining to dumping in the U.S. market.
Do I need an export license to sell my electronic equipment to Brazil? The Bureau of Export Administration (BXA), which administers the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), has an answer to that question. The EAR covers commercial and dual-use products and provides detailed information on where these products are allowed to be exported. BXA also has a West Coast office located in Newport Beach, CA. The EAR (and the constant Federal Register updates) is online, but BXA charges $21 per month to access the database. These regulations will also be available to you online via the Dolphin Marketing International Web site in the near future.
Another important agency is the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank). This Web site provides information on Ex-Im Bank financing programs for exports of U.S. products and services. Be sure to fully explore the "Country" link for important information, including the Country Limitation Schedule. This schedule details Ex-Im Bank's ability (based on country) to lend on projects, and provides a good indication of the country's financial standing. If Ex-Im Bank does not provide coverage for a particular country, private financing may be available, but it is sure to be expensive.
Contrary to its name, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is not the main contact point for international trade. That job falls to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The USITC does, however, have a number of reports and information on the impact of imports on U.S. industries, and directs actions against unfair trade practices (such as patent, trademark, and copyright infringement). The agency also publishes reports on U.S. industries and the global trends that affect them, and updates and publishes the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. The "Tariff Affairs" section allows visitors to download the 1997 edition of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS).
Companies performing overseas consulting, such as technical assistance or feasibility studies, on infrastructure and industrial projects in developing countries (sorry, France doesn't count) should contact the U.S. Trade And Development Agency (TDA). The TDA provides funding on a cost-sharing basis for approved projects. The "TDA Projects" section will provide information on the various projects being funded, as well as those in the pipeline.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) administers the many billions of dollars the U.S. government provides in foreign aid to developing countries. U.S. companies should closely review this Web site to learn how to bid on providing supplies for USAID's international development projects. Many of these projects require a large percentage of U.S. goods and services.
One of the largest exports for the United States is agricultural products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Web site provides trade leads, market research and information on how to utilize FAS services to help export agricultural products around the world.
The U.S. Treasury has several agencies that can and will affect international trading activities. The major ones are U.S. Customs, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). U.S. Customs is the first contact point for imports into the United States, as well as one of the agencies that enforce U.S. export control law. ATF regulates the export of alcoholic beverages, firearms and tobacco products. OFAC administers the economic embargoes implemented by the U.S. government. These embargoes cover countries such as North Korea and Cuba. U.S. companies and individuals are not allowed to do business with companies and foreign nationals of these countries without prior approval of OFAC.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) publishes the 1996 version of the World Factbook. The World Factbook provides important demographic information on every region and country in the world. Notice the disclaimer on the opening page of this site-it has been hacked more than once.
The U.S. Trade Representative's Office is the agency that handles trade negotiations for the U.S. Government. The 1997 National Trade Estimate report provides information on foreign trade barriers.
The last stop on our tour of U.S. government trade agencies is the U.S. Department of State. How does foreign policy affect the international trader? The State Department is the lead agency for foreign policy and is the diplomatic corps of the United States government. There are a number of U.S. policies pertaining to nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, terrorism, human rights and others that directly affect and may limit trade with certain countries. The site provides business-oriented information as well as international policy material. Explore the "Business Tools" section completely. An excellent resource for locating the contact information, and names, of overseas U.S. Embassy personnel is The Key Officers of Foreign Service Posts.
That wraps up the tour. Believe it or not, more than 20 U.S. Government agencies have some type of involvement with international trade. Others not mentioned are the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The information presented above will provide direction and clarity to those looking to access the wealth of information and services provided by the U.S. Government.