“Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke Remarks at Center for Strategic and International Studies Forum Washington, D.C. (U.S. Department of Commerce)” plus 3 more |
- Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke Remarks at Center for Strategic and International Studies Forum Washington, D.C. (U.S. Department of Commerce)
- East Asian studies program sets Witt apart from its peers (Springfield News-Sun)
- WMU should establish a center for strategic studies (Western Herald)
- Sustainability Studies: A Must or just a Trend? (Bangkok Post - Thailand's English news)
| Posted: 17 Mar 2010 09:38 AM PDT
Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke Good morning. Thank you, John, for your kind introduction. And thank you to the Center for Strategic and International Studies for your hospitality. It is great to be here to talk about emerging trade opportunities with Indonesia, especially because trade with Asia has been a focus of mine long before I arrived at the Commerce Department. Before moving to this Washington, I was governor for eight years of Washington state, the most trade-dependent state in America. And when I left office, I was a partner at a law firm and focused on international business, primarily with Asian countries. When President Obama asked me to be his Secretary of Commerce, I was honored and eager to continue my trade promotion efforts on behalf of the United States. One thing I can tell you about this president is that he has a deep appreciation for the power of trade to revitalize America's economy and improve the quality of life and strengthen our diplomatic alliances around the world. It's why he recently announced a National Export Initiative, which calls for doubling our exports in five years. And it's a big part of the reason why early next week he is going to Indonesia and then to Australia. These are two vibrant democracies and key allies in a very important part of the world. As the president said in Tokyo last year, there has been a sense that, for some years, the United States has been absent from the Asia-Pacific region. That has not been and will not be the case with this administration. It was no coincidence that Secretary of State Clinton made her first official trip abroad to Indonesia. We understand that Asia must be a force for global stability and prosperity in the 21st century. In Cairo last summer, the president called for a new beginning with Muslims around the world. And Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, is a key part of this strategy. It is country that holds personal significance for this president and important strategic and economic interests for the United States. Indonesia also is a key partner in our counterterrorism efforts. And it is a trading partner that holds significant potential.
Which is why, when the president is there next week, he'll formally establish the U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership—a blueprint for cooperating on a host of issues, from trade and investment to education and the environment. Growing trade with Indonesia is a piece of the president's broader plan to create jobs here at home by growing market access overseas. This is the strategy he outlined in his National Export Initiative. And it's a plan to address a characteristic of the 21st century economy: Job creation in America is increasingly dependent on our foreign trade. There have, of course, been previous endeavors by the U.S. government to elevate the importance of exports. But what sets the president's export initiative apart is that this is the first time the United States will have a government-wide export-promotion strategy with focused attention from the president and his Cabinet. It has never been more important for American compaies to increase their sales to the 95 percent of the world's consumers who live outside the United States. And here's how we plan on doing this. Number one is through a more robust effort by this administration to expand its trade advocacy in all its forms. That means:
As part of the National Export Initiative, the 2011 budget includes a request to funnel $132 million to the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to educate U.S. farmers and businesses about opportunities overseas and directly connect them with new customers. As the president recently said, it's time for the United States "to go to bat for our businesses and our workers," especially when other countries are so vigorously advocating for their companies' interests abroad. The second key element of the NEI is improving access to credit, especially for small- and medium-sized businesses that want to export. In particular, the president has called upon the Export-Import Bank—which enables critical financing when private banks are unwilling or unable—to increase its financing available for small- and medium-size businesses by $2 billion over the next year. The Small Business Administration will also play a strong role in increasing financing available to small- and medium-size businesses. Finally, the third key element of the NEI is making sure American companies have free and fair access to foreign markets. The American people need to feel confident that when we sign an agreement that gives foreign countries the privilege of free and fair access to our domestic market, we are treated the same in their countries. These steps will make it far easier for American companies to ramp up their investment in Indonesia. But these initiatives on their own won't be enough to realize the full potential of our partnership. Although trade with Indonesia has grown in recent years, Indonesia is still only our 28th-largest trading partner. In fact, Indonesia does less trade with the United States than some of its smaller, less populous ASEAN neighbors, like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. In order to increase trade, it's incumbent upon Indonesia to make market-oriented reforms that will make it a more attractive market. Not just for U.S. companies but companies all around the world. These same reforms will help improve the quality of life for Indonesians, who will have access to goods and services that they don't have access to today. Economic nationalism, regulatory uncertainty and unresolved investment disputes give pause to American companies seeking to do business in Indonesia. And if Indonesia is looking for a partner to address these issues, the United States is eager to lend its assistance. Because ensuring that increased trade actually happens requires a long-term partnership. And that's something this administration is intent on seeing through. We are going to play a more active role in leading trade missions abroad and serving as an on-the-ground advocate for our companies. It's a role that I am eager to play when, in May, I will follow up on the president's trip by leading a trade mission of American renewable energy companies to Indonesia. This trip can be a model example of the mutual benefits of international trade. On the one hand, Indonesia has a growing need for cleaner and affordable sources of energy. Indonesia has more than 230 million people, and by 2050, its population is expected to reach about 280 million. What's more, Indonesia is the world's third-largest emitter of carbon. As its population swells, Indonesia's energy needs are going to skyrocket. And American companies can help Indonesia meet this energy challenge. The Indonesian government has already developed an aggressive blueprint for action on renewable energy. In four years' time, the government expects a 56 percent increase in overall energy investment. And in fifteen years, 15 percent of Indonesia's energy is mandated by law to come from renewable energy. The implication of this is clear. Indonesia is going to be a vast, steady market for green technologies. Ensuring that American companies play a lead role in this energy transformation is a priority for the Obama administration. There are regional neighbors like China and India that are racing with us to meet Indonesia's and the world's demand for renewable energy, a demand expected to increase by 50 percent by 2030. It will be hard enough to meet that using just any form of energy we can find. But we're not looking for any old type of energy. This new energy has to be clean to avoid catastrophic climate change. And it has to be cheap to keep our economies growing. Having traveled across America over the last year, and visited companies at the vanguard of this clean energy challenge, I have no doubt we have the technology and the expertise. Now, the U.S. government just needs to help connect those companies with customers around the world When I go to Indonesia, I am taking with me between 10 and 15 firms that represent a cross-section of U.S. clean energy industries. Indonesia is home to 40 percent of the world's known geothermal resources. But there is great potential for biomass and photovoltaic renewable energies as well. In fact, to reach its 15 percent renewable energy threshold in 2025, Indonesia has called for five percent of that energy to come from geothermal sources, five percent from biomass and five percent from other sources. Indonesia is taking bold steps, ones that can—and really must—be met with equally bold initiatives from U.S. companies. America already has a strong foundation of cooperation to build on, as evidenced by our close trading relationship with ASEAN countries. Increasingly, this region is becoming one of the most vital U.S. trading partners.
Growing this relationship has been a particular focus of the Obama administration.
These are significant steps that the Obama administration is pursuing. If they lack the widespread attention that has characterized United States ventures into different parts of the world—it's because building strong, lasting ties takes time. In Cairo, last June, the president talked about re-engaging the Muslim and developing world. He called for trust to be built upon shared values and commonalities. The real work of relationship building happens in face-to-face interactions. And it often happens between businessmen and businesswomen who can only do business if they trust one another. And so, by necessity, they learn about each other's cultures. There are certain forces in the world that would seek to drive a wedge between the United States and Indonesia, but the bonds of commerce can be stronger. For everyone here who seeks to increase U.S.-Indonesia ties, I can assure you, you will have the support of this administration. Thank you again for having me. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| East Asian studies program sets Witt apart from its peers (Springfield News-Sun) Posted: 17 Mar 2010 07:09 PM PDT
By Kelly Mori,
Staff Writer
9:58 PM Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The year 1969 was not the best to propose an East Asian studies program to university officials. The U.S. was deep in the Vietnam War, the funding that the Johnson administration had promised for world studies programs was not materializing, and university officials considered interdisciplinary programs as dabbling — not education. But Wittenberg University professor of religion Eugene Swanger believed the program would be a good fit for the university and presented the concept to the board that spring. "It was a hard sell," said Swanger, now professor emeritus of religion and East Asian studies. It took a year before the idea was finally approved in 1970. On Saturday, March 20, the university will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the program that not only added Chinese, Japanese and Korean studies into major and minor degrees, but introduced the concept of interdisciplinary studies to the university. The program incorporates the study of East Asian history, culture and language into multiple disciplines, such as political science and art. Forty years later it still sets Wittenberg apart from many of its peers, said Director of East Asian Studies and associate professor of religion Jennifer Oldstone-Moore. "There are students who are interested in East Asian studies, but they don't want to go to a big university," she said. "The program brings in people from both coasts and increases our diversity. I think it's a good thing — makes us a nationally known place. "And I think that helps Springfield as well." A spinoff of the program is the East Asian Institute for International Studies, which manages internships and study abroad programs as well as partnerships with the business community. The program launched in 2009. This fall the university expects to expand the language portions of the program into majors in Japanese language and Chinese language, Oldstone-Moore said. Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0347 or kmori@coxohio.com. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| WMU should establish a center for strategic studies (Western Herald) Posted: 17 Mar 2010 07:39 PM PDT Strategic studies are those studies conducted in various fields which aim to reach the best decision in certain issues. The importance of these studies is based on their reflection of the public opinion regarding political, economic, and academic questions. Most of the decision makers highly depend on the outcomes of the strategic studies, which illuminate the future outlook of certain projects and plans. Strategic studies are concerned with the best future plans and projects that will develop the performance of institutions and policies. WMU has a strong potential to establish a center for strategic studies which can greatly influence the local and international public opinions. Our university has a lot of distinguished professors in the departments of education, politics, economics, and media who can play a great role in providing decision makers in all the fields the best plans and proposals for the future. The faculty of the strategic studies can promote the rank of our university among all the local and international universities through conducting valuable studies that will help the state of Michigan to overcome its economic crisis and countries to resolve their conflicts. They can find the best ways by which the problems of our community are solved. Internationally, this center will create a great fame for our university through press and media interviews with the faculty of the center who can talk about their studies and opinions regarding international and political conflicts and the economic crisis. Most international TV stations are interested in hosting scholars and researchers from strategic centers who can find the best solutions for the problems of these nations. The appearance of these scholars on television will build a good reputation for our university, and will make a lot of these countries cooperate with our university to conduct studies for them. Our university will benefit from the funds offered for the faculty of the center and from the students who will be sent from these countries to obtain academic degrees from our university. The strategic center might be helpful and active in solving the problems of the local community through conducting studies and offering consultations for sectors in the United States. The center can benefit from and calibrate the public opinion through surveys on the Web site of the center in order to reach the best solutions. The feedback from these surveys will help decision makers in all sectors to reach the best solutions. The strategic studies center can establish a graduate program for the students who want to study this valuable major. It can offer a graduate certificate in this field, in which the certificate can be done by taking 12 credit hours in the field of strategic studies. This certificate will enable the students to start their jobs in all sectors. Additionally, the center can establish an academic journal in which the scholars can publish their strategic studies in it. Establishing a center for strategic studies at WMU can be a very important step on the way of greatness and fame for our university. Our university has all the potential to establish the center and to advance as an important academic institution in the world. Hassan Al-Momani, a Western Herald opinion columnist, is a graduate student majoring in English and can be reached via e-mail at hassan76us@yahoo.com. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Sustainability Studies: A Must or just a Trend? (Bangkok Post - Thailand's English news) Posted: 17 Mar 2010 11:19 PM PDT live & learn About 40,000 Thai students travel overseas for further education each year. The majority, who are privately funded students, focus their choice of study on subjects related to business such as marketing, international business, finance, logistics, human resource etc. The lesser number of publicly funded students return home with degrees in science, education and subjects related to public services such as public health. This has led to a severe imbalance in the job market between the private and public sectors, as well as a huge labour shortage in the agricultural sector. This has become a major issue in Thailand. Since 2007, economics and the environment have became the focus of many international and local dialogues. As a result, the world is adjusting all its activities to accommodate a balance between human needs and sustainability. Unfortunately Thailand, as a developing country, has a young generation which is still heavily influenced by hard-core economic and business growth. Education, especially for the privately funded, still very much focuses on money-making careers and enterprises. Thai parents, as the main financial sponsor, are aware of global issues like climate change, yet cannot relate their children's future career to one where sustainability is a main force. As a result, the decision on what to study and what to pursue as a career still very much leans towards traditional choices. What is known is that world leaders and many global enterprises have shifted their attention and resources to make this planet more sustainable. They all agree that, whether we like it or not, ensuring a sustainable planet is the only choice left for human civilization. Vision 2050: a New Agenda for Business, is the outcome of the latest effort by a group of world business leaders towards this sustainable path. This project was a result of 18 months of collaboration between world business leaders who came together to envisage a picture of the world in the next 40 years. The challenge that lies ahead would be "a planet of around 9-billon people, all living well - with enough food, clean water, a roof over their heads, good transport, education and health - within the limits of what this small, fragile planet can supply and renew everyday". To make this vision see the light of day they all agree, we need to aquire a new mindset, new skills, new behaviour and a new way of doing things altogether. In the context of Thailand, it is important for parents and the younger generation to also take note and share this vision so that they can prepare themselves for the emerging job market centering round the notion of "sustainability" in the next decade. However, it is vital to understand that sustainability is something greater than the "agriculture" we tend to associate it with. We need a "holistic" view to understand it as it underlies all facets of life: basic living, economics, politics, education, the environment and ecosystems. In terms of study choice, the doors are opening wider for business, agriculture, economics, education, health, art/design, science, engineering etc. Let us be part of this moving force and save this planet for the coming generation. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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