Trade in Austarlai

Australia reported a trade deficit equivalent to 285 Million AUD in May of 2012. Historically, from 1971 until 2012, Australia Balance of Trade averaged -369.3 Million AUD reaching an all time high of 3478.0 Million AUD in June of 2010 and a record low of -3651.0 Million AUD in February of 2008. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, particularly wheat and wool, minerals such as iron-ore and gold, and energy in the form of liquefied natural gas and coal. Australia is a major importer of machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines and telecommunication lasers. Its main trading partners are: Japan, China, The United States and New Zealand. This page includes a chart with chronological data for Australia Balance of Trade.

The balance of trade is the difference between the monetary value of exports and imports in an economy over a certain period of time. A helpful balance of trade is known as a trade surplus and consists of exporting more than is imported; a negative balance of trade is known as a trade deficit or, unceremoniously, a trade gap. The balance of trade forms part of the current account, which also includes other transactions such as income from the international investment position as well as international aid. If the current account is in surplus, the country's net international asset position increases correspondingly. Equally, a deficit decreases the net international asset position. The Balance of Trade is matching to the difference between a country's output and its domestic demand - the difference between what goods a country produces and how many goods it buys from abroad; this does not include money respent on foreign stocks, nor does it factor the concept of importing goods to produce for the domestic market.

The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) assists Australian businesses to expand their business outside Australia with information about export markets, grants and assistance and promotes and supports productive foreign venture and international education in Australia.

The principal roles of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service are to facilitate trade and the movement of people across the Australian border while protecting the community and maintaining appropriate obedience with Australian law; to efficiently collect customs revenue; and to administer specific industry assistance schemes and trade measures.

DECO is responsible for administering controls on the export of defence and dual-use goods, and the granting of authorisations to export, in the form of permits and licenses. Items subject to control are listed within the Defence and Strategic Goods List (DSGL). The dual-use categories include Chemicals, Toxins, Materials Processing, Electronics, Computers, Telecommunications and Information Security, Sensors and Lasers, Navigation and Avionics, Marine and Aerospace and momentum sectors. 

Your gateway to Australian Financial Services licensing and regulation. The Financial Services Gateway is an online portal to help international visitors understand Australia's regulatory environment, guiding probable investors to banking, superannuation, insurance and funds administration information.

Trade in Austarlai

Australia and New Zealand's biggest annual celebration of all things fair trade is coming soon. With events, activities and promotions happening across both countries, Fair Trade Fortnight gives each of us the opening to celebrate the life-changing difference our fair trade choice makes for millions of developing country farmers, producers, their families and communities.  

The first one that was sent out just wouldn't start. Called up the company, they agreed to replace it but would not pay for postage of returning it.
The second one they sent out had a broken fuel tank cover which wouldn't stay on.
Called up the company, the sales rep. told us that it wasn't such a big deal, but as a favour to us, he would be willing to exchange for another chainsaw.
We refused and asked for a refund, but the group would only agree to refund of 80% of cost of the chainsaw, as they didn't think a broken fuel cap was an issue.
They also refused to refund any postage costs that were incurred, despite the products they had sent out being faulty. 

Australia has always been a trading nation. Its political, colonization and cultural links with other countries have been reinforced by trade and investment, with its high reliance on imports such as electrical appliances, cars, clothes, footwear, PCs and watches being a reminder of these trade links. The influx of imported products has benefited Australia but in recent decades, the reliance on them has caused problems for its economy. Such problems have incorporated trade deficits, whereby the value of imports has exceeded that of exports by between $12 and $20 billion each year. They also include foreign debt in money owed overseas, which has increased from roughly $19 billion to $527 billion since the 1980s, as well as causing unemployment. Australia's current trade and trade and industry policies, particularly its push for stronger trading links with Asia-Pacific countries, reflect the attempt at tackling these ongoing problems.

Although Australia relies heavily on its overseas foreign outlay and employers, with hundreds of foreign companies operating in Australia, it is also a high exporter of goods, services and capital, with 60% of its exports going to the Asia-Pacific region. Agricultural goods and minerals dominate Australia's exports, as do some of its service firms such as Qantas which is well known overseas, especially in its region. This chapter will explore Australia's trade links in its membership with regional trading blocs and agreements, and its shift away from its traditional trading partners such as Britain, and the types of goods exported.

Trade in Austarlai

For many years, Britain was Australia's major trading partner, with its acquire of Australian farm products and supplies to Australia of consumer goods. Britain's trade with Australia has declined since the 1960s, so that it now ranks sixth behind Australia's top five trading partners. Australia still exports primary products such as minerals, wheat and fruit to Britain and other western European countries despite the decline in trade. However, Japan has develop into Australia's largest trading partner with its importing of Australian wool, and minerals such as coal and iron ore. Other regional Asian countries have become major importers of Australia's primary products, especially wheat. Japan and also the United States have replaced Britain as Australia's main source of consumer goods. As well as supplying food, raw materials and insincere goods, Australia currently provides services such as education, training and software development to its Asia-Pacific neighbours.

Australia belongs to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group (1989). APEC began in response to the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific economies, and has 18 member nations located around the Asia-Pacific Rim that includes Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United States and Vietnam. The significance of APEC can be seen in its member countries' increase in exports, valued at approximately US$2.5 trillion and representing about 43% of total world exports, as well as imports, valued at approximately US$2.4 trillion and representing about 44% of total world imports in topical years. More than half of Australia's exports go to APEC countries and about 40 percent of imports and much of its foreign investment come from these. Australia seeks from APEC the promotion of free trade in the region and other countries, to protect and project regional interests in wider negotiations such as the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations and to develop cooperative projects in improving the economic routine of member countries and the region in general.

  Australia's first trading agreement in its region was the New Zealand-Australia Free Trade Agreement (1965), which was a response to Britain's move away from trade in the British Commonwealth to join the European Economic Community (ECC). This was followed by a call for closer trade and industry ties and the signing of the Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement (CER) in 1983. In 1988 the two countries agreed to implement free trade in goods from 1990 and discussions are ongoing for increased harmonisation of competition policy, banking and accountancy regulations, as well as mutual links in migration, tourism, transport, and the relaxing of export subsidies between the countries. Points of friction remain on issues such as Australia's strict quarantine laws. CER is recognised as one of the world's most successful free trade agreements.

A high level of foreign investment into Australia has allowed faster advance of its domestic resources. In 2003, foreign investment into Australia reached $904.4 billion, up by $47.4 billion or 5.5 percent on the previous year, with direct investment rising 8.4 percent to $233.5 billion. Australia's government has a regional headquarters program aimed at encouraging global companies to establish regional bases in Australia by stressing its economic strengths, cultural diversity and stability. It has further used this to promote its image as a gateway to the Asia-Pacific with strong trade and cultural links with countries in this region. In the late 1990s, Australia's unique stability and economic strength was shown by its remaining relatively unscathed by the Asian Financial Crisis, which was caused by a boom of international lending to the region followed by a sudden withdrawal of funds. Many Australian companies retained a presence in countries hit by the crisis such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Australia has since benefited from honouring its district trade links now that conditions have improved. Further, its ability to adapt to such crises has now been seen by many overseas investors to be proven. Such investors with a regional base in Australia include American firms, Dow Chemical, Hewlett Packard and Microsoft, the Finnish firm, Nokia, and German firm, Siemens.

Another major Asia-Pacific trading bloc is the connection of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Free Trade Area (AFTA). Australia's exports to AFTA countries exceed exports to either the European Union or North America. Its member countries include Burma, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. AFTA's future goals coincide with Australia's regional trading aims. These goals include liberalising trade in ASEAN by progressively removing tariff and non-tariff barriers, attracting foreign investors, and adapting ASEAN to the rise of other district trading blocs.

The law in most countries requires that a signature on a document be witnessed or other procedures applied before the document can be used for legal purposes or in a court of law. Solicitors, justices of the peace, and notaries public normally perform these functions in Australia, but the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) may also be authorised to do so. 

Trade in Austarlai

DFAT provides notarial army, or the legalisation of documents, to Australians, or people planning to use documents in Australia, through its State/Territory offices in Australia and its diplomatic missions overseas.

Following over a decade of uninterrupted growth, the Australian economy is now feeling the effects of the pressures of the global economic crisis and is in a period of minimal or zero growth. While consumer demand has been strong and the housing sector robust, the real story regarding growth in GDP forecast for 2009 is .05%, A mild recovery in fiscal growth, to 1.2% may arrive in 2010 but could be as late as 2011. 

The unemployment rate for 2008 was estimated at 4.2 per cent and is forecast to rise to 5 per cent by the June quarter 2009 and 5¾ per cent by the June quarter 2010.

The Reserve Bank of Australia will continue to cut interest rates in the first quarter of 2009, despite the fact that inflation is calculate to remain well above the bank’s target. Headline consumer inflation accelerated to 5% year on year in the third quarter of 2008, up from 4.5% in the previous quarter. The forecast is that inflation will ease to 3.1% in 2009 and 2.6% in 2010. 

Imports of goods rose by AUD$5.6 billion in the third quarter of 2008, to AUD$59.8 billion. Imports of consumer goods fell, in a reflection of the deteriorating outlook for consumer confidence in Australia.

The general tariff reduction on industrialized goods has now fallen to 5 per cent. Duties on passenger motor vehicles (PMV) and parts components has been reduced from 10% (General rate of customs duty) to 5% on 1 January 2010. Duties on textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) have fallen to 10% since 1 January 2005 & will be the same rate as other manufactured goods - 5% in 2015.Pharmaceuticals
Trade in prescription and non-prescription pharmaceuticals between Australia and Canada have been enhanced through a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) signed in March 2005. This agreement allows manufacturers batch certifications to be recognised by one without re-analysis by the other. In addition, the agreement reduces compliance costs and shortens delays in the marketing of Canadian curative/drug products in Australia and vice versa.   

The High Commission in Canberra is primarily involved in market access issues and the development of industrial, economic and systematic cooperation with Australia. It facilitates strategic alliances and investment. It also handles business development and trade enquiries in the following sectors: government and defense procurement; aerospace; agriculture, food and beverages; fish and seafood products, agricultural technology and equipment; education; forest industries; metals, minerals and related equipment, services and technology; and science and technology, and is responsible for business progress in New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. Canberra co-operates with the Consulate General of Canada in Sydney and the Consulate and Trade Office of Canada in Auckland.

We serve Canadian clients in all sectors. Based on our knowledge of the market, the following sectors offer the greatest opportunities for Canadian companies:

Aerospace & Defence | Agricultural Technology & Equipment | Agriculture, Food & Beverages | Environment and Renewable Energies | Fish & Seafood Products | Forest Industries| Information and connections Technology (ICT) | Life Sciences | Metals, Minerals & Related Equipment, Services & Technology | Service Industries and Capital Projects (including road and rail network and Transportation)

Trade in Austarlai

Trade and industries

FOREIGN TRADE is the official source for U.S. export and import statistics and responsible for issue regulations governing the reporting of all export shipments from the United States. If you're searching for import or export statistics, information on export regulations, commodity classifications, or a host of other trade related topics, this is the place to get the information you need.

A trade secret is a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, or compilation of information which is not generally known or practically ascertainable, by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over competitors or customers. In some jurisdictions, such secrets are referred to as "top secret information", but should not be referred to as "classified information", due to the nature of the word in the USA.

Trade secrets are by definition not disclosed to the world at large. Instead, owners of trade secrets seek to protect trade secret in sequence from competitors by instituting special procedures for handling it, as well as technological and legal security measures. Legal protections include non-disclosure agreements (NDA) and non-compete clauses. In exchange for an opportunity to be employed by the holder of secrets, an employee may sign an agreement not to reveal his or her likely employer's proprietary information. An employee may also surrender or dole out to his employer the right to his own intellectual work produced during the course (or as a condition) of employment. breach of the agreement generally carries the possibility of heavy financial penalties. These penalties operate as a disincentive to reveal trade secrets. Though proving a breach of a non-disclosure agreement against a former employee who is legally working for a competitor can be very difficult. A holder of a trade secret may also require similar agreements from other parties he deals with, such as vendors or licensees.

Protection of trade secret can, in standard, extend indefinitely and then may provide an advantage over patent protection, which lasts only for a specific period of time. Coca-Cola, for model, has no patent for its formula and has been very effective in protecting it for many more years than the twenty years of security that a patent would have provided. In fact, Coca-Cola refused to reveal its trade secret under at least two judges' orders.The inconvenience is that there is no protection once information protected as trade secret is uncovered by others through reverse engineering, for example, whereas patent has a guaranteed time of protection in exchange for disclosing the in order to the community.

World trade

To acquire rights in a trademark under U.S. law, one must simply use the mark "in commerce." It is possible to register a trademark in the U.S., both at the federal and state levels. (Registration of trademarks confers some advantages, including stronger protection in certain respects, but it is not required in order to get protection.) Registration may be required in order to file a lawsuit for trademark infringement. Other nations have different trademark policies and this information may not apply to them. Assuming the mark in question meets certain other standards of protectibility, it is protected from infringement on the grounds that other uses might confuse consumers as to the origin or nature of the goods once the mark has been associated with a particular supplier. (Similar considerations apply to service marks and trade dress.) By definition, a trademark enjoys no protection (qua trademark) until and unless it is "disclosed" to consumers, for only then are consumers able to associate it with a supplier or source in the requisite manner. (That a company plans to use a certain trademark might itself be protectible as a trade secret, however, until the mark is actually made public.)

A company can protect its confidential information through non-compete and non-disclosure contracts with its employees (within the constraints of employment law, including only restraint that is reasonable in geographic and time scope). The law of protection of confidential information effectively allows a perpetual monopoly in secret information - it does not expire as would a patent. The lack of formal protection, however, means that a third party is not prevented from independently duplicating and using the secret information once it is discovered.

urveillance of national trade policies is a fundamentally important activity running throughout the work of the WTO. At the centre of this work is the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM). All WTO members are reviewed, the frequency of each country’s review varying according to its share of world trade. 

The World Trade Organization (WTO) deals with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.

This website is a one-stop national resource to learn about the crime of identity theft. It provides detailed information to help you deter, detect, and defend against identity theft.  

On this site, consumers can learn how to avoid identity theft – and learn what to do if their identity is stolen.  Businesses can learn how to help their customers deal with identity theft, as well as how to prevent problems in the first place.  Law enforcement can get resources and learn how to help victims of identity theft.

Read on to find out more about identity theft and what you can do about it.

Here's an example of a "yen carry trade": a trader borrows 1,000 Japanese yen from a Japanese bank, converts the funds into U.S. dollars and buys a bond for the equivalent amount. Let's assume that the bond pays 4.5% and the Japanese interest rate is set at 0%. The trader stands to make a profit of 4.5% as long as the exchange rate between the countries does not change. Many professional traders use this trade because the gains can become very large when leverage is taken into consideration. If the trader in our example uses a common leverage factor of 10:1, then she can stand to make a profit of 45%. 

World trade organization

The big risk in a carry trade is the uncertainty of exchange rates. Using the example above, if the U.S. dollar were to fall in value relative to the Japanese yen, then the trader would run the risk of losing money. Also, these transactions are generally done with a lot of leverage, so a small movement in exchange rates can result in huge losses unless the position is hedged appropriately.

A strategy in which an investor sells a certain currency with a relatively low interest rate and uses the funds to purchase a different currency yielding a higher interest rate. A trader using this strategy attempts to capture the difference between the rates, which can often be substantial, depending on the amount of leverage used.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act guarantees you access to your credit report for free from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — every 12 months. The Federal Trade Commission has received complaints from consumers who thought they were ordering their free annual credit report, and yet couldn't get it without paying fees or buying other services. TV ads, email offers, or online search results may tout "free" credit reports, but there is only one authorized source for a truly free credit report. 

Many companies claim to offer free credit reports – and some do. But others give you a report only if you buy other products or services. Still others say they’re giving you a “free” report and then bill you for services you have to cancel. If you go to www.AnnualCreditReport.com and follow the prompts for your free credit report, you can be sure the reports you get really are free. 

Looks like the Nets aren’t waiting for Dwight Howard’s situation to get resolved before making moves. According to Nets Daily, they just went ahead and traded for Joe Johnson, whose contract will have Brooklyn unable to re-sign Deron Williams and still make a deal for the Orlando big man this summer. More details: “The Nets have all but completed a trade for Joe Johnson, the six-time all-star, league sources tell NetsDaily. In return, the Hawks get expiring contracts and a first round pick. NOT included in the trade: MarShon Brooks and Gerald Green. The Nets also didn’t have to give up their own first round pick in the trade. The trade will not be finalized until July 11. Johnson, who is still owed $89.3 million over the next three years, was dealt for Anthony Morrow; Jordan Farmar, who will be bought out at Atlanta’s expense; Jordan Williams, Johan Petro, a signed-and-traded DeShawn Stevenson and the Rockets 2013 lottery protected first round pick.”

Trade agreements usually involve a detailed list of rights that nations must provide to authors of new works -- including any original content from books to software. But while the deals often include general provisions, permitting countries to adopt exceptions to those rights, they have never been explicitly required.

Those exceptions are what allow for the existence of everything from libraries to movie reviews. They're also critical for a host of internet operations, which frequently reference or make use of copyrighted material under well-established "fair use" standards and other key exemptions.

We're encouraged that the USTR (United States Trade Representative) has acknowledged that we can have strong and balanced copyright," said Matthew Schruers, vice president of law and policy at the Computer and Communications Industry Association, a tech lobbying organization. "There is still much more to be done, on this issue, other IP issues, as well as issues outside of the IP space. Nevertheless, this is an important first step toward modernizing the trade framework for the twenty-first century."

The USTR -- the White House agency, led by Ron Kirk, that's responsible for negotiating the Trans-Pacific deal -- said this new outline aims to enhance the framework of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

"The TPP is intended to be a 21st century agreement, covering a number of emerging issue areas, and it’s clear that this is an issue of major importance to many stakeholders," said USTR spokesperson Carol Guthrie in a written statement. "After consulting with them and with our trading partners, we’ve decided to further enhance our framework."

Tech policy and transparency in the Trans-Pacific deal have generated some concern among a few members of Congress, who have said that key staffers were denied access to draft negotiation documents, even though more than 600 corporate officials were able to view the documents through positions on advisory panels. 

Fair trade

Trade in Malaysia

Malaysia is one of Vietnam ’s most important strategic partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and is a huge potential market, said the Deputy Director of the Asian-Pacific Market Development Department under the Industry and Trade Ministry, Chu Thang Trung.

This year, the ministry chooses Malaysia , particularly the MIFB as one of trade promotion activities to introduce Vietnamese brand names that are exported to the exmarket, Trung added.

On display in Kuala Lumpur from July 12-14, Vietnamese pavilions were very popular with well-known brand names of agricultural products and seafood.

Statistically, over the last few years bilateral trade between Vietnam and Malaysia has been increasing at roughly 20 percent year on year. Two-way trade reached 6.66 billion USD in 2011, of which Vietnamese exports accounted for almost 2.76 billion USD. In the first six months of this year, the figure was about 4 billion USD.

This year’s MIFB attracted 350 businesses from 20 nations and territories across the world to display their various products, goods and services in 500 stands on an area of 11,800 sq.m.-VNA

Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, has been a trade hub for centuries. Since the beginning of history, Malacca has served as a fundamental regional commercial center for Chinese, Indian, Arab and Malay merchants for trade of precious goods. Today, Malaysia shares healthy trade relations with a number of countries, specifically the US. The country is associated with trade organizations, such as APEC, ASEAN and WTO. The ASEAN Free Trade Area that was established for trade promotion among ASEAN members also has Malaysia as its founding member. Malaysia has also signed Free Trade Agreements with countries including Japan, Pakistan, China and New Zealand.Malaysia was once the world’s largest producer of tin, rubber and palm oil. Its manufacturing sector has a crucial role in its economic growth. The export industry was hit hard during the late 2000 economic recession drastically dropping to 78% i.e. FDI to RM4.2 billion in the first two quarters of 2009. Total exports fell down to $156.4 billion in 2009 from $198.7 billion in 2008. The imports also reduced from 154.7 billion in 2008 to $119.5 billion 2009.

The scarcity of organs available to transplant in Malaysia is the main contributing factor in this organ trade. Dr Hasan and his ministry are partly to blame for this scarcity. They have failed to publicise the life-changing potential of donating organs.

They, and our communal and religious leaders, have never provided enough encouragement to Malaysians to carry a donor card, proudly and nobly.

Our conservative culture plays no small part in this organ shortage. Many Malaysians, of all races and religions, are fearful of death, and regard any discussion of death as taboo. This makes it difficult, of course, for a young Malaysians to bring up the subject of carrying a donor card at the family dinner table, for example.

Scarcity, perhaps inevitably, leads to high prices. Relatively affluent Malaysians can fly to China or India to have a liver or kidney transplant. Where does the organ come from? It’s best not to ask. It’s entirely believable, given the demand for organs, that living Bangladeshis can be imported to Malaysia, as a kind of organ delivery service.

Karachi—Pakistan and Malaysia have agreed that while bilateral trade had witnessed a steady growth after FTA in January 2008, there still existed a considerable untapped potential to enhance the two-way commerce and broaden the narrow range of products being traded between the two countries.

Leading businessmen and senior government officials from Pakistan and Malaysia underscored an effective use of various protocols and frameworks available under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to boost economic relations and broaden the scope of bilateral trade.

Trade in Malaysia

The consensus to work aggressively to forge business partnerships emerged at a daylong Pakistan Malaysia Business Forum held in Kuala Lumpur Tuesday under the joint aegis of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA). The event that drew nearly 200 leading Malaysian and Pakistani investors and businessmen for a daylong exchange of business ideas also served as an ideal opportunity for productive networking and business matchmaking. Malaysian Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on South Asia, Datuk Seri Samy Vellu who recently led a business delegation on a visit to Pakistan, also attended the Business Forum. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs says the agreement will see Malaysia cut tariffs on 99 per cent of Australian imported goods by 2017, and Australia will eliminate all tariffs on Malaysian imports.

After seven years of negotiating, the agreement will reduce tariffs on dairy, automotive, food manufacturing, wine and iron and steel products.

Malaysia is Australia's third-largest trading partner in South-East Asia and 10th biggest worldwide.

Two-way trade in goods and services reached $16 billion in 2011.

Australia has several similar agreements with Singapore, Thailand and the United States, and bilateral negotiations with China, Japan and South Korea are under way.

Trade Minister Craig Emerson described the deal with Malaysia as "a platinum agreement" in trade liberalisation.

"I know the business community in both countries value this agreement," he told reporters.

A statement released by his office said the deal "will further integrate the Australian economy with the fast-growing Asian region, benefiting Australian exporters, importers and consumers."

Malaysian trade minister Mustapha Mohamad hailed the deal as historic.

"Australian exporters to Malaysia will also be able to immediately enjoy significantly reduced tariffs for goods, reaching up to 99 per cent by 2020," he said at a signing ceremony with Mr Emerson.

The agreement also allows Malaysian investors to participate in Australian private hospital services including massage, homeopathy and traditional medicine.

Malaysia, meanwhile, has agreed to allow 100 per cent equity holdings by Australian entities in the Malaysian education and telecommunication sectors, and 70 per cent holdings in the Malaysian insurance and investment-banking sectors.

The Department of Foreign Affairs says the agreement will see Malaysia cut tariffs on 99 per cent of Australian imported goods by 2017, and Australia will eliminate all tariffs on Malaysian imports.

After seven years of negotiating, the agreement will reduce tariffs on dairy, automotive, food manufacturing, wine and iron and steel products.

Malaysia is Australia's third-largest trading partner in South-East Asia and 10th biggest worldwide.

Two-way trade in goods and services reached $16 billion in 2011.

Australia has several similar agreements with Singapore, Thailand and the United States, and bilateral negotiations with China, Japan and South Korea are under way.

Trade Minister Craig Emerson described the deal with Malaysia as "a platinum agreement" in trade liberalisation.

"I know the business community in both countries value this agreement," he told reporters.

A statement released by his office said the deal "will further integrate the Australian economy with the fast-growing Asian region, benefiting Australian exporters, importers and consumers."

Malaysian trade minister Mustapha Mohamad hailed the deal as historic.

"Australian exporters to Malaysia will also be able to immediately enjoy significantly reduced tariffs for goods, reaching up to 99 per cent by 2020," he said at a signing ceremony with Mr Emerson.

The agreement also allows Malaysian investors to participate in Australian private hospital services including massage, homeopathy and traditional medicine.

Malaysia, meanwhile, has agreed to allow 100 per cent equity holdings by Australian entities in the Malaysian education and telecommunication sectors, and 70 per cent holdings in the Malaysian insurance and investment-banking sectors.

Options trading is relatively new in Malaysia. However, did you know that Bursa Malaysia Derivatives offers the trading of options contracts?

Before you read on, you might be asking: “I’m an investor, but what does options trading, have to do with me anyway?” Well, options trading provides investors an alternative way of investing and can also be used as an effective risk management tool in an investment portfolio. More recently, the demand for courses teaching the basics of trade options has increased. In this article, we will discuss the simple basics of options trading in Malaysia. By the end of this article, you will be able to describe an option contract, the trading process of an option contract and identify the benefits of options trading.

Canada was one of the first countries to recognize Malaysia's independence and establish diplomatic relations in 1957.

In Malaysia, Canada is represented by the High Commission of Canada in Kuala Lumpur, and by a consulate headed by an honorary consul in Penang. Malaysia is represented in Canada by a high commission in Ottawa, a trade office in Toronto and a consulate in Vancouver. 

Canada and Malaysia have a long history of close and friendly bilateral relations that encompass a full range of political, economic, trade, social, and cultural relations. People-to-people links between Canada and Malaysia are the cornerstone of the bilateral relationship. Malaysia is an important source of students to Canada and a number of Canadian universities maintain exchange and study programs with Malaysia. Many Malaysians visit Canada every year and Canadians reciprocate by visiting, working and living in Malaysia.

Canada engages Malaysia on issues related to the promotion of good governance, human rights, and pluralism bilaterally and in multilateral organizations. Canada worked with Malaysia during Canada's tenure on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) until 2009 and continues to work with Malaysia on the promotion of universal respect of all human rights and fundamental freedoms during its tenure on the UNHCR. 

Canada and Malaysia place a high priority on the security aspect of the relationship. Canada provides support for capacity-building initiatives related to counter-terrorism, security and defence. Through these programs, Canada has trained nearly 1000 Malaysians to safely respond to terrorist attacks. 

The Canada-Malaysia relationship is further fostered through close partnership and cooperation in international organisations such as the Commonwealth, the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and World Trade Organization (WTO). Canada also works with Malaysia as a dialogue partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and its security forum, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

Trade in Malaysia

Canada's trade relationship with Malaysia includes commerce across several sectors. Canadian companies in Malaysia employ thousands of Malaysians. This relationship is complemented by major investments by Malaysian companies in Canada in the oil and gas and agriculture sectors and Canadian investments in the aerospace, high tech, transportation and oil and gas sectors in Malaysia.

 In October 2010, at the third round of TPP negotiations in Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia joined the United States and seven other Asia-Pacific nations in negotiations to achieve a high-standard broad-based regional trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement.  Malaysia’s announcement followed more than a year of high-level consultations between Malaysia and the original eight TPP nations, including the United States.  In addition to working together on TPP, the United States and Malaysia meet frequently to discuss bilateral trade and investment issues and to coordinate approaches on APEC, ASEAN, and the WTO.

Malaysia was the United States' 18th largest supplier of goods imports in 2011.

U.S. goods imports from Malaysia totaled $25.8 billion in 2011, a 0.5% decrease ($129 million) from 2010, but up 0.8% from 2000. U.S. imports from Malaysia account for 1.2% of overall U.S. imports in 2011.

The five largest import categories in 2011 were: Electrical Machinery ($12.5 billion), Machinery ($4.0 billion), Fats and Oils (palm oil) ($1.7 billion).Optic and Medical Instruments ($1.4 billion), and Rubber ($1.4 billion).

U.S. imports of agricultural products from Malaysia totaled $2.4 billion in 2011, our 10th largest supplier of agriculture imports. Leading categories include: tropical oils ($1.7 billion), cocoa paste and cocoa butter ($274 million), and rubber products ($188 million).

U.S. imports of private commercial services* (i.e., excluding military and government) were $1.2 billion in 2010 (latest data available), up 19.7% ($205 million) from 2009 and up 248% from 1994 levels. The other private services (business, professional and technical services) category accounted for most of U.S. services imports from Malaysia.

Malaysia was the United States' 23rd largest goods export market in 2011.

U.S. goods exports to Malaysia in 2011 were $14.2 billion, up 1.0% ($138 million) from 2010, and up 29% from 2000. U.S. exports to Malaysia account for 1.0% of overall U.S. exports in 2011.

The top export categories (2-digit HS) in 2011 were: Electrical Machinery ($6.8 billion), Machinery ($1.6 billion), Aircraft ($1.0 billion), Optic and Medical Instruments ($686 million), and Iron and Steel ($571 million).

U.S. exports of agricultural products to Malaysia totaled $1.0 billion in 2011. Leading categories include: wheat ($158 million), soybeans ($150 million), dairy products ($137 million), and processed fruit and vegetable ($74 million).

U.S. exports of private commercial services* (i.e., excluding military and government) to Malaysia were $2.1 billion in 2010 (latest data available), 23.7% ($402 million) more than 2009 and 137% greater than 1994 levels. The other private services (business, professional, and technical services) category accounted for most of U.S. exports in 2010.

U.S. goods and services trade with Malaysia totaled $43 billion in 2010 (latest data available). Exports totaled $16 billion; Imports totaled $27 billion. The U.S. goods and services trade deficit with Malaysia was $11 billion in 2010.

Malaysia is currently our 22nd largest goods trading partner with $40.0 billion in total (two ways) goods trade during 2011. Goods exports totaled $14.2 billion; Goods imports totaled $25.8 billion. The U.S. goods trade deficit with Malaysia was $11.6 billion in 2011.

Trade in services with Malaysia (exports and imports) totaled $3.3 billion in 2010 (latest data available). Exports were $2.1 billion; Services imports were $1.2 billion. The U.S. services trade surplus with Malaysia was $853 million in 2010.

 A key factor that contributes to the economic incentive to trade in illegal cigarettes is the high price of legal cigarettes in Malaysia – already the 3rd highest in ASEAN. This is due principally to the high levels of tobacco taxes and duties that have been imposed over the years. Since 2004, excise tax has increased by a staggering 172%. High excise increases lead to high cigarette prices.

Malaysia is already one of the leading automobile markets in the ASEAN region and is expected to continue to grow. To capitalize on this potential, Mazda began local assembly of the Mazda3 (known as Axela in Japan) last year and with the new joint venture project, plans to begin local assembly of the Mazda CX-5 early in 2013. Mazda plans to produce 3,000 CX-5s per year in Malaysia.

Mazda’s sales in Malaysia have shown consistent growth since we started doing business with Bermaz in 2008. In the last financial year we achieved record sales results of approximately 6,000 units and one percent of the market share. Local assembly of Mazda3 started in January 2011 and is going well. Malaysia is one of our key strategic markets and we expect further growth there. The talks with Bermaz about the joint-venture production and sales company indicate Mazda’s strong commitment to business in Malaysia. Mazda will continue to focus on emerging markets to strengthen our overall business foundation,” said Takashi Yamanouchi, Mazda’s Representative Director and Chairman of the board, President and CEO.

Beginning with an exponential rise in the tourism, the relationship between the two countries has been further enhanced, opening new avenues for Malaysia and India to benefit mutually from each other’s economies. Over the past 10 years, trade between Malaysia and India has seen a healthy average growth rate of over 15.6% p.a.

In spite of a slowdown in the global trading scenario, Malaysia has shown signs of rapid growth, recording a total trade value of US$415 billion in 2011 – the highest ever achieved. For the 14^th consecutive year, Malaysia has recorded a trade surplus figure of US$39 billion – a growth rate of 9.4% for the year 2011. The merchandising trade has registered an impressive growth of 8.7% p.a. with exports from Malaysia growing to US$226.98 billion, while imports recorded a figure of US$187.66 billion – an 8.6% rise. This notable feat is at par with other developed countries in the region, like Singapore and ROK, which have registered similar records.

Trade in Malaysia

The groth of world Trade

A significant braking of trade development had been forecast for 2011, but multiple economic setbacks during the year dampened growth beyond expectations and led to a stronger than anticipated easing in the fourth quarter.

“More than three years have passed since the trade collapse of 2008-09, but the world economy and trade remain fragile. The further slowing of trade expected in 2012 shows that the downside risks stay behind high. We are not yet out of the woods,” WTO Director General Pascal Lamy said.

“The WTO has so far deterred economic nationalism, but the sluggish pace of recovery raises concerns that a steady trickle of restraining trade measures could gradually undermine the benefits of trade openness. It is time to do no harm. WTO members should turn their attention to revitalizing the trading system and to ensuring such a scenario does not materialize.”

The present trade forecast assumes global output development of 2.1% in 2012 at market exchange rates, down from 2.4% in 2011, based on a consensus of economic forecasters. However, there are severe downside risks for growth that could have even greater negative consequences for trade if they came to pass. These include a steeper than expected downturn in Europe, financial contamination related to the sovereign debt crisis, rapidly rising oil prices, and geopolitical risks.

Recent production data suggest that the European Union may already be in recession, and even China’s dynamic economy appears to be upward more slowly in 2012. Economic prospects have improved in the United States and Japan as labour market conditions improve in the former and business orders pick up in the latter, but these positives will only partly make up for the later negatives.

Developed economies exceeded expectations with export growth of 4.7% in 2011 while developing economies (for the purposes of the analysis this includes the Commonwealth of Independent States, or CIS) did worse than expected, soundtrack an increase of just 5.4%. In fact, shipments from developing economies other than China grew at slightly slower pace than exports from the developed economies that included disaster-struck Japan. The relatively strong performance of developed economies was driven by a robust 7.2% increase in exports from the United States, as well as a 5.0% extension in exports from the European Union. Meanwhile, Japan’s 0.5% drop in exports detracted from the average for developed economies overall.

Several adverse developments disproportionately affected developing economies, including the interruption of oil supplies from Libya that caused African exports to tumble 8% last year, and the severe flooding that hit Thailand in the fourth quarter. The Japanese earthquake and tsunami also disrupted global give chains, which penalized exports from developing countries like China, as reduced shipments of components hindered production of goods for export. (See quarterly volume developments for selected economies in Appendix Chart 1.)

Significant exchange rate fluctuations occurred during the year, which shifted the competitive positions of some major traders and prompted policy responses (e.g. Switzerland, Brazil). Fluctuations were driven in large part by attitudes toward risk related to the euro sovereign debt crisis. The value of the US dollar fell 4.6% in nominal terms against a broad basket of currencies according to data from the Federal Reserve, and 4.9% in real terms according to data from the International Monetary Fund, making US goods generally less cheap in export. Nominal US dollar depreciation also would have inflated the dollar values of some international transactions.

The developments outlined above refer to trade in real terms, but nominal flows for both merchandise and commercial services were similarly affected by recent economic shocks.

In 2011, the dollar value of world merchandise trade advanced 19% to $18.2 trillion, surpassing the previous peak of $16.1 trillion from 2008. Much of the growth was due to higher commodity prices, but monthly trade flows were habitually flat or declining in many major traders over the course of the year (See monthly nominal developments in Appendix Chart 2.)

The share of developing economies and the CIS in the world total also rose to 47% on the export side and 42% on the import side, the highest levels ever recorded in a data series extending back to 1948.

world trade

The value of world commercial services exports increased by 11% in 2011 to $4.2 trillion, with strong differences in annual growth rates for particular countries and regions. African exports were hit hard by the turmoil in Arab countries, soundtrack zero growth as Egypt’s exports of travel services plunged more than 30%. New quarterly data on services jointly prepared by the WTO and UNCTAD also displayed a sharp slowdown in the fourth quarter coinciding with the heightened level of financial market turmoil surrounding the euro debt crisis.

World commodities trade volume grew 5.0% in 2011, and Asia’s 6.6% increase led all regions . One of the more significant developments in 2011 was the 8.3% contraction in the volume of Africa’s exports. This was largely due to the civil war in Libya, which reduced the country’s oil shipments by an estimated 75%. Japan’s exports also fell by the same 0.5% as the country’s GDP, while shipments from the CIS advanced just 1.8%.

Although Africa recorded a respectable 5.0% increase in imports, other resource exporting regions performed better. Imports of the CIS grew faster than those of any other region at 16.7%, followed by South and Central America’s at 10.4%. Meanwhile, Japan’s import growth was the slowest of any major economy or region last year at 1.9%.

India had the fastest export growth among major traders in 2011, with shipments rising 16.1%. Meanwhile, China had the second fastest export growth of many major economy at 9.3%.

The combination of low export volume growth and high import volume growth seen in the Commonwealth of Independent States in 2011 can be attributed to the 32% rise in energy prices for the year, which boosted export take-home pay and allowed more foreign goods to be imported .

world trade

The growth in the trade share of output is one of the most important features of the world economy since World War II. We show that an important propagation mechanism for this growth is vertical specialization. Simply put, vertical specialization occurs when imported inputs are used to produce goods that are then exported. We show that many of the standard trade models—the Ricardian model, the monopolistic competition model, and the international real business cycle models—cannot explain the growth in trade unless very high elasticities of demand and substitution are assumed. We then use case studies and other empirical evidence to demonstrate the quantitative significance of vertical specialization in trade. Finally, we develop a model of vertical specialization that can explain the growth in trade under reasonable elasticities, which suggests that vertical specialization has important implications for the gains from trade.

 The striking growth in the trade share of output is one of the most important developments in the world economy since World War II. Two features of this growth present challenges to the standard trade models. First, the growth is generally thought to have been generated by falling tariff barriers worldwide. But tariff barriers have decreased by only about 11 percentage points since the early 1960s; the standard models cannot explain the growth of trade without assuming counterfactually large elasticities of substitution between goods. Second, tariff declines were much larger prior to the mid 1980s than after, and yet, trade growth was smaller in the earlier period than in the later period. The standard models have difficulty generating this nonlinear feature. This paper develops a two-country dynamic Ricardian trade model that offers a resolution of these two puzzles. The key idea embedded in this model is vertical specialization, which occurs when countries specialize only in particular stages of a good’s production.

New Zealand is on track to outperform world trade growth as increasing demand from Asia and Latin America fuels agricultural exports, say economists for the HSBC bank.

New Zealand's trade will grow at an annualised rate of 5.9 per cent over the next five years, outperforming forecast world trade growth of 3.8 per cent annually.

The trend is expected to continue into the next decade with New Zealand's growth predicted to rise a further 7.3 per cent between 2017 and 2021 annually, compared to world growth on 6.2 per cent, according to the latest HSBC Global Connections report.

"New Zealand is in the right geography and in the right industries to take advantage of accelerating trade trends," said Gary Cross, head of global trade and receivables finance at HSBC. "As millions more people within the emerging markets of the Southern Hemisphere move up to the middle classes, demand for our agricultural, meat, wood and wine products can only increase."

The trend is expected to continue into the next decade with New Zealand's growth predicted to rise a further 7.3 per cent between 2017 and 2021 annually, compared to world growth on 6.2 per cent, according to the latest HSBC Global Connections report.

"New Zealand is in the right geography and in the right industries to take advantage of accelerating trade trends," said Gary Cross, head of global trade and receivables finance at HSBC. "As millions more people within the emerging markets of the Southern Hemisphere move up to the middle classes, demand for our agricultural, meat, wood and wine products can only increase."

Australia will remain New Zealand's largest trading partner, at an annual predicted growth rate of 7.5 per cent over the next five years, while exports to China, the country's second largest export partner, is seen accelerating swiftly at 12.6 per cent annually.

"The speed at which businesses will have to grow may seem challenging, but the reality is that growth opportunities for New Zealand lie internationally."

Mexico convened a meeting of G20 trade ministers in Puerto Vallarta, in April, in our capacity as Presidency of this group, with the aim of promoting trade as a vehicle for restoring economic growth, and to redouble efforts to fight against protectionism in the world.

At this meeting it became clear that currently imports are as important as exports, and that more trade produces more and better jobs. By contrast, the use of protectionism as an economic policy destroys jobs and reduces the growth rate of countries that apply these measures. This has been demonstrated in a recent study sponsored by ten international organizations.

Mexico has had great success in trade liberalization. Before we opened our markets, foreign trade accounted for 24% of GDP; today it is about 60%. In addition, one in five jobs is linked to companies that export and 37% of these pay higher wages than non-exporting companies. The restrictive measures applied by some G20 countries have not only affected Mexican products, but are also having a negative impact on the global value chains in which Mexico participates.

For Mexico it is vital that global trade flows grow and do so quickly; this will allow our country to increase and diversify our exports. Similarly, it is essential to be able to count on the international prices and quality inputs that we need to manufacture the goods that we export and that our population consumes.

Mexico proposes that G20 leaders, meeting this month in Los Cabos, agree to intensify their fight against protectionism. Leaders will also discuss in depth issues such as value chain in order to generate greater awareness about the importance of supply chains running smoothly, without upset, and the importance of the relationship between trade, employment and growth.

The stock market crash of 1929 triggered a financial crisis known as the Great Depression. Misguided economic policies and growing trade protectionism deepened the crisis, which came to a close with the end of World War II.

In 2008-2009 the world was in danger of repeating this episode. The U.S. housing crisis became a financial crisis, and thus spread its negative effects to the real economies of most countries. Independently of the internal measures that each country adopted individually, we decided to coordinate our policies in order to confront a possible catastrophe.

The formation of the Group of Twenty or G20 was an appropriate response at the appropriate time. It focused on financial and other issues, such as trade. Its actions were essential in preventing the rise of protectionism that would have been devastating for the world economy; in 2009 world trade fell by 12% and only 1% of imports were affected by protectionist measures.

With economic recovery, world trade rose by 13.8% in 2010. Unfortunately, according to the WTO, growth in 2012 will only be 3.7%. Most worrying is the resurgence in protectionist tendencies and the role that various countries are giving these in their strategies to tackle the difficult environment: 3% of world imports have been affected by restrictive measures.

world trade

b

Trade and Business in Bangladesh

Cotheeka Trading Agency is one of the leading trading companies in Bangladesh specialized on Export-import, Local Trading and Marketing of various products ranging Computer & Electronic Accessories to Jute Products.

Cotheeka Trading Agency is reputable worldwide for its excellent Quality Control and Fast Turnaround time for delivering all kinds of products or services. Our commitment to customer services and passion for providing the best consumer value have enriched our spectacular growth since 2001. Our experience in management, including a wealth of experience in the areas of finance, strategy and operational management with distribution and direct marketing helped us to be established as one of the best trading companies in Asia. We have extensive experience developing inventive and original marketing campaigns that build our customer relationships in the retail and consumer product industries.

Web site of Cotheeka Trading Agency is updated with new information and fresh product offers on daily basis. So, don't forget to bookmark the site and visit often.

Since the independence a quite extensive development cooperation has dominated the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Sweden. At the same time, however, trade has developed in a positive way albeit from a low level. At the moment trade with Bangladesh accounts for 0,06 % of Sweden’s total exports and 0,18 % of our total imports.
Telecommunication apparatus and equipments are the most important export products to Bangladesh, representing 17 % of total exports for 2009. Machinery and other engineering products, paper, wood, ore, iron, steel and chemical products are also important.
The Swedish export reached a peak in 2007 with SEK 2073 million . This peak was largely a result of an up- scaling of the  telecommunications sector and exports to provide equipment to this end. After this investments phase in the telecommunications sector the export have now decreased to SEK 617 million for 2009.
Swedish imports from Bangladesh are however steadily growing; total imports in 2009 were SEK 1625 million, compared to SEK 1471 million in 2008. It should be noticed that the registered trade statistics underestimate the import figures as Bangladeshi products intended for the Swedish market are often off-loaded in other countries in the European Union.
There is a potential for increased trade between Sweden and Bangladesh. The positive image of Sweden in Bangladesh is an important factor when promoting Swedish industries in Bangladesh for example energy, environment, paper pulp and leather-products. Also in the field of textiles, ready made garments and pharmaceuticals there are significant opportunities for growth in our trade relations.
For Swedish exporters and importers who are interested in trading with Bangladesh  or Swedish investors in establishing a presence in Bangladesh, you are welcome to contact the Swedish Trade Council office in New Delhi, or the Swedish Embassy in Dhaka.
There are more than 50 Swedish or Swedish-related companies represented in Bangladesh by themselves or by agents.

Bangladesh and India yesterday started their long-awaited trade through Banglabandha port in a major bilateral decision. From now, goods from both countries can pass through the land port.
Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury formally opened trade through the land port in Tentulia upazila in the northernmost district of Panchagarh, while Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee launched trade through Phulbari in Jalpaiguri. Earlier, an inaugural meeting was held at Phulbari port.
Trade between Nepal and Bangladesh through Banglabandha has been continuing on a limited scale since its introduction in September 1997.
Banglabandha will be an important land port thanks to broader trade with India, analysts said.
Matia Chowdhury said importers and exporters have long been demanding opening of the port for goods transportation in and out of India. "Today their demand is fulfilled."
Mukherjee said: "We will take steps to shorten the trade gap between Bangladesh and India.”
Banglabandha will shape up into a more important port than other land ports thanks to its geographical importance to both countries, he said.
Immigration to India and Bangladesh through Banglabandha will start after immigration checkpoints are set up, said Matia Chowdhury. 

India Bangladesh trade

“We want to develop the region economically by maintaining a friendly relationship between two countries,” she added. She urged India to take steps to reduce the trade gap.
Contacted, President of Panchagarh Chamber and Commerce and Industry Iqbal Kaiser said Banglabandha point is important to develop regional trade, as Siliguri is only five kilometres from the port while it is 10 kilometres for Jalpaiguri and 58 for Darjiling.
The Indian minister along with a 13-member delegation, including Urban and Municipality Development Minister of West Bengal Ashok Battacharia, joined the inauguration.
Matia Chowdhury led an 11-member delegation, including lawmakers Mozharul Hoque Pradhan and Farida Akter and Deputy Commissioner of Panchagarh Banamali Bhowmik.
A warehouse, a truck parking yard, a police barrack, a Sonali Bank branch and a telephone exchange office have been set up at Banglabandha port at a cost of Tk 2 crore recently.

Below is a detailed summary of the bureaucratic and legal hurdles faced by entrepreneurs wishing to incorporate and register a new firm in this economy.  It examines the procedures, time and cost involved in launching a commercial or industrial firm with up to 50 employees and start-up capital of 10 times the economy's per-capita gross national income.
This information was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 183 economies. The most recent round of data collection was completed in June 2011.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called for boosting old border trade with Myanmar and evolve a fresh era in the bilateral relations with the southeastern neighbour particularly in the area of trade and business.

Bangladesh and Myanmar are neighbours, enjoying excellent relations based on shared values, culture, history and ancient trade. Stronger business ties between the two countries are a new demand from both sides, she said.

The Prime Minister, who arrived here this afternoon on a three-day official visit, was addressing a dinner at a hotel here hosted by Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) in her honour this evening.

As neighbours, Bangladesh and Myanmar have been natural partners in trade since the earliest of times. Let us now revive, rejuvenate and boost that partnership, she said calling for good connectivity by road, rail, water and air for collaboration on a journey of shared prosperity.

"Our growing connectivity with India, Nepal, Bhutan and China has ushered in a hope of common market for over 3 billion people in our region," she said.

President of UMFCCI U Win Aung, FBCCI President AK Azad and Bangladesh Ambassador to Myanmar Anup Kumar Chakma, among others, spoke on the occasion. Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni and noted IT expert and PM's son Sajib Wazed Joy were present.

Sheikh Hasina highlighted the business opportunities in Bangladesh and thanked the business community for organising the event to bring the business people of the two neighboring countries together.

In collaboration with each other both the UMFCCI, one of the oldest business organizations in the region founded in 1919, and Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) would be greatly benefited, she observed.

Referring to the signing of an MoU between the two Federations for establishment of Joint Business Council, she said this initiative could be the beginning of a fresh era of bustling business between the two countries.

The Prime Minister underlined the solid macroeconomic fundamentals of Bangladesh and said, "Our vast advancement in manufacturing, infrastructure, human resources development, banking and corporate sectors helped us to absorb ongoing global economic recession and maintain a healthy GDP growth rate, export and remittance earnings.

trade fair

She said Bangladesh is offering the most liberal foreign direct investment regime in South Asia, allowing for repatriation of 100 per cent of profits and foreign equity. "We also provide corporate tax holidays, concessionary duty on import of machinery as well as full repatriation facilities for dividends and capital on exit, among other things," she said.

Board of Investment (BOI) of Bangladesh has set up "one stop service' to cater to the needs of foreign investors, she added. Sheikh Hasina said there are huge potentials for joint ventures as well as individual investments in Bangladesh, particularly in pharmaceuticals, ceramics, manufacturing, ICT and tourism.
 

Introduction SHOWCASE BANGLADESH 2012 is set to become the most exciting event for the 2nd time in Kuala Lumpur, organized by Bangladesh-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BMCCI) in collaboration with the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia South-South Association (MASSA) and Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATR.. Incorporating a Company in Bangladesh: Business in Bangladesh may be carried on by a company formed and incorporated locally or by a company incorporated abroad but registered in Bangladesh. The incorporation or registration is done by the Reg Bangladesh-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BMCCI) is an independent non profit service oriented organization that promotes leadership, strategic thinking and bilateral business partnerships.  Bangladesh has a wide variety of natural and agricultural resources. There are considerably large amounts of coal and gas, hard rock, lime stone and silicone sand in the country and these are important raw materials for many industries. Bangladesh's main industries are cotton, textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizers, sugar and light engineering. In spite of the large quantities of agricultural resources available, the agro-based industries have not been properly utilized, because of a lack of technology and investment. Even the country's marine resources are grossly under-exploited. Bangladesh's major trading partners for both imports and exports are the USA, India, Japan, China, Australia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and other European countries. Bangladesh's economy depends on the import of both consumer items and industrial raw materials. Bangladesh's major import products are raw cotton, crude petroleum, wheat, oil, seeds, edible oil, petroleum products, fertilizer, yarn, capital goods, staple fibers, iron and steel. The main export items of Bangladesh are tea, leather and leather products, garments, seafood, paper, furnace oil, urea, ceramic products, raw jute and jute products such as Hessian sacking, carpets and carpet backing. The economic growth rate of Bangladesh has been maintained at a around 5% during the past ten years in spite of frequent natural calamities. In 2002 - 2003, the domestic savings rate was about 18.23% and the GDP was $275.7 billion in 2004. In the same year, the annual per capita was US$2000, growth rate 4.9%, industrial growth rate at constant price 6.5%, inflation rate 6% and the investment rate 23.5% of GDP. Bangladesh's main investment sectors are, service, textiles, chemicals, food and food related industries, glass and ceramics and energy based projects.  Canada-Bangladesh trade in goods and services has been steadily increasing over the past few years, with some sectors more than doubling. Trade is very important to Bangladesh and the country is pre-dominantly import-dependent. Canada is a very welcomed trading partner for Bangladesh, which offers a relatively investment-friendly regulatory regime and a strategic geographical location as an access point to South and South East Asia. Bangladesh a key initiator of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Trade Up has been designed to provide export oriented SMEs with pre and post shipment financing facilities. The underlying objective of this product is to structure trade finance facilities in line with customers' trade cycle. The product is suitable for the back ward linkage industries of country's ready made garments sector. One of the key features of the product presents the customers with the opportunity to avail HSBC's international credit card against Exporters' Retention Quota. To connect the small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with their buyers and suppliers locally and globally, HSBC Bangladesh has launched two trade products tailored to the requirements of the SMEs. These are: Trade Line and Trade Up. You can consult our relationship managers on the features and functionalities of these products.

trade and business