Greetings!

Smart and successful companies have a well developed China strategy. Consultants and supply chain gurus have long advocated for a quick and decisive expansion in to the vast China market. In due course, the land of cheap labor and eager vendors has evolved in to a consumer oriented economy and a commercial sector with a highly developed global expertise. The rush to capitalize on China's productivity and the seemingly infinite China economic might have ignored one potential caveat however. During the last decade of explosive growth in trade with China, the 'consensus' was that the promise of economic success would supersede nationalist tendencies and global politics. The recent erratic behavior of the North Koreans and the subsequent reaction by China may have proven that 'consensus' to be fundamentally flawed.

We have often advocated for companies to diversify their sourcing strategies beyond a concentration on China. There are vendors and business partners throughout the world (including here in the U.S.) who are willing and able to provide innovative products and solutions for a variety of needs. Strengthening trade links with these countries throughout Asia, India, and Africa provide tremendous opportunities (while also serving to further the cause for economic freedom around the globe). Companies who have embraced this diversified philosophy will be somewhat insulated by the recent unrest on the Korean peninsula and its unavoidable effect on North Korea's solitary ally of China. (more follows, to read the entire article please follow the link below).

If you have been following my musings on ACE (the Automated Commercial Environment) you will know that I have been a passionate and vocal critic of the way that U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has managed the ACE deployment. ACE is a next generation replacement for the legacy CBP platform called the ACS (Automated Commercial System). It has taken more than fifteen years to build and in the end it may cost the U.S. taxpayers $4-5 billion dollars to fully implement. That's right, billion with a "B" for a largely one-dimensional system used to clear cargo arriving on our shores. I'll leave you with that thought for a moment.

On October 27^th, as a part of the Trade Support Network (TSN) meetings CBP did a live 90-minute public Webcast to update the trade community at large on the ACE program. It's worth a listen if you missed it and CBP has posted a recording of this webcast on their web site; please follow this link to access it: CBP TSN ACE Update Webcast. The Webcast features the Deputy Commissioner David Aguilar, Tim Skud representing the Treasury Department, and Dan Baldwin Assistant Commissioner Office of International Trade and "Business Owner" for ACE. (more follows, to read the entire article please follow the link below).