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Tradeology, the ITA Blog Tradeology. The official blog of the International Trade Administration Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) Month May 1, 2024 Kendee Yamaguchi is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Field. May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) Heritage Month . This is a time to celebrate and recognize the diversity and vibrancy of a community that has made remarkable achievements and invaluable contributions. While there is so much to celebrate this month, it is just as important to take this time to recognize the various hardships that AANHPI communities have overcome. For me, it was my own family’s experience of being sent to an internment camp during World War II that shaped my path to public service. Over 120,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed and stripped of their property, land, businesses, and human dignity. My family was placed in horse stables on fairgrounds and sent by train to be incarcerated in Minidoka, Idaho. Since then, my grandfather made it his personal mission to increase widespread awareness of this chapter in U.S. history. Knowing my family’s story from a young age made me realize the power of government, representation, and how history could have played out differently. I became determined to be a part of the solution and to ensure that this kind of history would never be repeated. These are the motivations that inspired my work on the Executive Order creating the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Now, I am immensely grateful to work at the International Trade Administration and help businesses of all sizes and backgrounds access our services, including through programs like the Global Diversity Export Initiative . As you celebrate this month, I encourage you to learn more about the histories and cultures of our incredibly diverse AANHPI communities — integral to our shared national history and culture — through the Smithsonian’s virtual AANHPI collection , or if you happen to be in Seattle, by visiting the Wing Luke Museum where you can see a photo of my family on display. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) Month 28 Years Later: Honoring the Memory of the Lives Lost on April 3, 1996 April 3, 2024 Today marks 28 years since the plane carrying Secretary of Commerce Ronald H. Brown and 34 others crashed, and all aboard perished while on the way to Dubrovnik, Croatia for a trade mission. True to ITA’s goal of uplifting U.S. businesses and our international partners, they sought to promote commercial opportunities for both the United States and a newly independent Croatia. We vow not to forget the victims, 11 of whom were Commerce officials, including five of our own from ITA. It is an important day for the international trade community to reflect and remember the colleagues who we lost and honor the legacy that they left behind. At ITA, we do this by continuing our work on trade missions worldwide and channeling our efforts to uplift the Balkans region despite regional hardships. We also have ITA Memorial Awards named in their honor for our team members whose contributions are a fitting tribute to their memory. Please join us today in keeping these individuals and their family members in your thoughts. Marisa Lago is the Under Secretary for International Trade. Diane Farrell is the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on 28 Years Later: Honoring the Memory of the Lives Lost on April 3, 1996 Women’s History Month: Empowering the Next Generation of Women Leaders March 28, 2024 Jennifer Knight is ITA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods, Materials Industries, Critical Minerals and Metals Women’s History Month is a time to honor the legacies of women who came before us and look forward to the possibilities for women and girls. At the International Trade Administration (ITA), we believe that investing in young women means investing in a future where women can lead without limitation. We also believe in committing ourselves to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility not only through words, but also through actions. This starts with addressing the barriers to inclusive economic growth and empowering women right here in our own communities. Recently, I attended a presentation by three FashionApparel Master’s students at the University of Delaware, Kendall Ludwig, Miranda Rack, and Hannah Laurits, hosted at the Department of Commerce. Their research explored opportunities for sustainable apparel and U.S. leadership in technical textiles production in sectors like medicine, automotives and beyond. The presentation also highlighted the competitiveness and recent growth of U.S.-made textile and apparel manufacturers. Women make up half of the world’s population, but as of 2023, only 29.2% of the U.S. manufacturing workforce was made up of women. This statistic is reflective of the challenges that still exist for women in the labor market. But where there is a challenge, there is also opportunity. In 2023 alone, U.S. exports of textiles and apparel amounted to $24.8 billion. As part of my duties in furthering ITA’s mission to strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. industry, I found the depth and timing of the presentation impressive as it dove into niche topics important to consumers, brands, and retailers – all important stakeholders ITA aims to serve. But even more so, the presentation showed the leadership and tenacity embodied by this next generation of women leaders through the commitment the students showed to the topic. We know that communities thrive when women are fully integrated into the workforce. That’s why it’s so important to encourage girls at a young age to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and related fields which provide skillsets needed in a range of critical sectors and industries. ITA is committed to uplifting women, and girls because as Under Secretary Lago often says, It’s not only the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense – for sustainable, inclusive growth.” Young professionals who are interested in creating a more inclusive economy can learn more about internship and career opportunities at ITA on our website ! Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Women’s History Month: Empowering the Next Generation of Women Leaders Road to Trade Winds Europe/Eurasia: Almaty, Kazakhstan February 27, 2024 Don Townsend is ITA’s Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Almaty, Kazakhstan In just a few months, the International Trade Administration (ITA) will lead the U.S. Government’s largest annual trade mission across Europe and Eurasia aimed to build partnerships and facilitate deals with international buyers and distributors. Trade Winds Europe/Eurasia will have mission stops in six countries and feature a diverse range of U.S. businesses representing a variety of different industries—from clean technologies to defense to retail—for tailored matchmaking meetings, networking opportunities, and one-on-one meetings with ITA’s commercial diplomats. Trade Winds Europe/Eurasia will visit Almaty, Kazakhstan from May 16-17, 2024. With the largest economy in Central Asia, Kazakhstan is an increasingly important trading partner to the United States. In 2022, U.S.-Kazakhstan bilateral trade reached $3.7 billion, a nearly 50 percent increase from 2021, with U.S. exports rising to nearly $1.1 billion across a variety of sectors, including machinery, pharmaceuticals, electronics and vehicles. With over 600 U.S. companies operating in the country, Kazakhstan is also emerging as the primary business, transport and logistics hub of Central Asia. The country offers a gateway to a market of about 150 million consumers among Caspian Sea...