WadeTradeNews

Welcome to the July edition of Wade Trade News - Wade World Trade's own monthly bulletin bringing you news on developments and opportunities in international trade that are worthy of your attention. Read on now for news of the latest trade developments in China, New Zealand and the Baltic area, plus some great opportunities and contacts for trading California wine or organic food.

US Commerce Secretary Don Evans has urged China to speed up its market reforms, claiming Government interference in economic matters is hindering China's acceptance as a global trading partner. Evans said 'China must significantly reduce Government micro-management of its economy and introduce a higher level of transparency before it can achieve a full transition to a market economy. Market forces won't control China's economy until there is a substantial roll back of control over raw materials, the financial system, real estate, utilities and large enterprises.'. Many commentators believe his speech was also aimed at reassuring US exporters who feel they are facing unfair competition from Chinese companies in world markets.

For the latest official news on what's going on in China, www.xinhuanet.com, from the Xinhua News Agency, China's state and worldwide news agency, is a good place to visit.

New Zealand has reported strong economic growth in the first quarter, led by consumer spending. Gross domestic product figures show the economy grew 4.1% in the year through the first quarter. National Bank of New Zealand senior economist Cameron Bagrie said 'The last quarter is shaping up to be a stunner! The economy gained a second wind in the first part of the year, although you have to question how long we can continue to test the threshold.'.

The New Zealand economy has defied predictions of a slowdown by some economists and proved to be one of the world's best performing over the past three years. First quarter retail sales volumes rose 2.6%, up from 1.3% in the previous quarter, while the construction sector expanded 9.2% over the same period last year. However New Zealand's exports, which account for around a third of GDP, have been outstripped by imports as foreign exporters rush to take advantage of the boom.

California might be best known for its movie industry but, actually, wine production is a major contributor to the state's economy and offers some attractive opportunities for traders. According to a report just published by MKF Research the wine business in California earned US$45.4 billion last year. It also reveals that California now has 1,049 wineries, 25% more than just five years ago, and wine exports grew by 4.5% in 2003 alone.

You can get more information on California wine from California's Wine Institute website at www.wineinstitute.org and the California Association of Winegrape Growers website at www.cawg.org.

If you'd like to get started trading in organic food Organic Trade Services, the organic industry portal on the web at www.organicts.com, now provides masses of information on the organic products industry.

Organic food is proving a big hit with consumers in most developed countries. The problem is, producers within those developed countries are often small and not well organised, and so are unable to cope with the demand. This offers a golden opportunity for importers and exporters who can match up buyers and sellers around the world. The fact that organic food (which is produced without pesticides, artificial fertilisers or drugs) is always more expensive than conventionally produced food makes it even more lucrative to trade in. Sales of organic foods such as fruit, vegetables and meat are estimated to be worth UK£1 billion a year in the UK alone.

Ex-Im Bank - the export-import bank of the United States - is a Government agency that helps finance the overseas sales of US goods and services. Over 70 years, Ex-Im Bank has financed more than US$400 billion of exports. It provides both guarantees of loans for US exporters and attractive loans to help foreign companies buy imports from the US. The bank is willing to support trade in most products and services (including commodities but excluding most military ones) which have at least 50% US content. And it can lend to customers and to countries that commercial lenders often won't do business with. For details of Ex-Im Bank's latest programmes, and details of whether you could qualify for assistance, visit the bank's website at www.exim.gov.

The Baltic region is one of the fastest growing commercial areas in Europe. Trade in the Baltic region, which includes Scandinavia, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and northwest Russia, increased 30% each and every year from 1993-98. The region as a whole has a population of over 100 million, a sizable market with access to the larger markets of western Europe and the former Soviet Union. As trade between east and west expands the Baltic area will play an increasingly important role in world trade, and is also a growing market for US trade.

The fluctuating price of oil over the last few years reminds us how vital it is for import-exporters to keep one eye on economic conditions worldwide. If you need to do this there's one website that beats all the rest - www.bloomberg.com. Bloomberg is the number one way to keep track of information like commodity prices, world stocks, interest rates and currencies. Add www.bloomberg.com to your favourites list now and you won't need to go anywhere else.

The tips you receive in this bulletin are just a very, very small selection of the help, advice and information Wade World Trade can give you. Wade has been in the business since 1946, so we have decades of experience in international trade information. Our products and services include courses, manuals, advice, information, online resources and worldwide trade and business contacts - more or less everything you need to start and succeed in import-export.