Commercial Diplomacy in Action with the first ever U.S.- India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue

Trade and Investment

Commerce and Treasury Announce Further Amendments to the Cuba Sanctions Regulations- The Department of Commerce and the Department of the Treasury announced additional revisions to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), building off the changes put into place by Treasury and Commerce on January 16, 2015 and further delivering on the new direction toward U.S. relations with Cuba that President Obama laid out last December.

 U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Addresses U.S.-India Commercial and Economic Relationship at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace- During her remarks, Secretary Pritzker affirmed the Obama’s Administration’s commitment to economic and commercial cooperation between the United States and India, which would lead to greater prosperity of businesses, workers and communities in both our nations.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Addresses First-Ever U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue- Secretary Pritzker described the central role played by the Indian and American private sectors in setting the agenda for commercial track of the dialogue, where the topics included the ease of doing business; infrastructure development; innovation and entrepreneurship; and standards and global supply chains.

Joint Statement on the First U.S.-India CEO Forum-  Ties between the United States and India have never been stronger – as reflected by unprecedented strategic cooperation, record levels of bilateral trade and investment, and more than 2 million annual visits between their citizens, students, and entrepreneurs. The Sides pledged to build on this momentum by pursuing new areas of collaboration, leveraging the talents of government and the private sector to make their nations more secure and prosperous.     

U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue Strengthens Important Bilateral Relationship- U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker co-chaired the first-ever U.S.-India Strategic and Commerce Dialogue (S&CD) this week, a brand new mechanism intended to advance President Obama and Prime Minister Modi’s shared vision of a stronger, deeper economic partnership between our two countries.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews Announces Business Development Mission to India- U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews announced that he will lead a Smart Cities Infrastructure Business Development Mission to India from February 8-12, 2016, with stops in Mumbai, Chennai, and Delhi. The trade mission will help U.S. companies launch or increase their business in India, focusing on technologies, systems and services in the safety and security, intelligent transportation, water, wastewater, and power sectors.

American Companies, Indian Infrastructure and a USG-India Smart Cities Trade Mission- As part of the inaugural U.S. – India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, U.S. Department of Commerce’s Deputy Secretary Bruce Andrews spoke at a high-level U.S.-India Infrastructure Roundtable.    

In Seattle, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Welcomes Chinese President Xi to the United States- U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker welcomed President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Government delegation during a gala dinner with government and U.S. business leaders, organized by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, the Washington State Welcoming Committee, and the U.S.-China Business Council. Secretary Pritzker will join a number of events with American business leaders this week, serving as President Obama’s representative for the West Coast portion of Chinese President Xi's visit to the United States.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Kicks-off CEO Roundtable Discussion with U.S. CEOs and Chinese Delegation- U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered opening remarks at the CEO roundtable discussion hosted by the Paulson Institute and the China International Trade Promotion Committee in Seattle. During the roundtable, U.S. and Chinese CEOs had the opportunity to share their experiences and challenges surrounding conducting business in China with President Xi Jinping and the Chinese delegation.

Helping U.S. Businesses Become Successful in Energy Markets- The third annual American Energy and Manufacturing Competitiveness Summit brought together the decision makers and the change makers that are driving the development of new technologies and business opportunities in a critical and growing segment of the economy—clean energy.

Our Cities, Building a Better World- In a guest blog post by Michael S. Burke, he said, “The expected influx of hundreds of millions of people into major urban centers around the world will create unprecedented new demands for government to add or update infrastructure that support opportunity, stimulate economies and improve quality of life.”

Environment

Coastal Aquaculture Planning and Environmental Sustainability- Our appetite for safe and nutritious seafood products is outpacing the global seafood supply. To help satisfy this demand, the US is increasing its aquaculture production. NOAA is committed to supporting an aquaculture industry that is economically sustainable and environmentally and socially responsible

New Small Survey Boats for Hard Working Navigation Response Teams- Less well known are Coast Survey’s smaller survey vessels, operated by navigation response teams situated strategically along the U.S. coasts. These vessels are hard worked by two- or three-member teams of physical scientists and technicians who must know everything about the vessel, the specialized survey equipment, and the science of collecting and processing data. On top of all that, they must be expert sailors.

Why is Louisiana So Darn Hard to Map?- If you have ever visited our Sea Level Rise and Coastal Impacts Viewer, you will notice that we currently do not have two states mapped yet—Alaska and Louisiana.  

Data

Poverty Rates Down in 12 States, Median Income Up in 16 States: New Data from the American Community Survey- The Census Bureau’s Kayla Fontenot and Kirby Posey write that the American Community Survey is the recommended data source for subnational estimates on income and poverty. The poverty rate and other income statistics help states and local communities evaluate current economic conditions and aid in the identification of areas and population groups that may require targeted assistance.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis wrote about Widespread Growth Across Metropolitan Areas  and Widespread Growth in the Far West Region on their blog this week.

Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders - New orders for manufactured durable goods in August decreased $4.8 billion or 2.0 percent to $236.3 billion.

Gross Domestic Product: Second Quarter 2015- Real gross domestic product -- the value of the goods and services produced by the nation’s economy less the value of the goods and services used up in production, adjusted for price changes -- increased at an annual rate of 3.9 percent in the second quarter of 2015, according to the "third" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 0.6 percent.

New Residential Sales - Sales of new single-family houses in August 2015 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 552,000. This is 5.7 percent (+/- 16.2%)* above the revised July 2015 estimate of 522,000.

Commerce Data in the News:

BEA’s Gross Domestic Product release was highlighted in a recent Yahoo Finance article: US GDP beats expectations.

Gross Domestic Product by Metropolitan Area was included in a recent 4-Traders article: BEA Bureau of Economic Analysis: Gross Domestic Product by Metropolitan Area, Advance 2014 and Revised 2001-2013.

The Washington Post cites commute-to-work statistics from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to write that 4.8 percent of workers in the Washington metro area telework in the article The Pope’s Visit is a Magnificent Case for Teleworking.

Fortune magazine cites a Census Bureau report on income that says women working full-time, year-round jobs earned 78.6 percent of what similar men did in 2014, the smallest gap on record since 1960, in the article America’s Gender Pay Gap is at a Record Low, But Hold the Celebration.

The Street cites household income, household expenses and commute-to-work statistics from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to write that Ohio cities Akron and Dayton are Nos. 1 and 2 in the article The 15 Most Affordable Places to Live in America.

NOAA's placement of new sensors in Lake Pontchartrain to help facilitate planning for storms was discussed in a recent Phys.Org blog: New NOAA Lake Pontchartrain sensors to provide better evacuation planning, storm surge data

NOAA scientist's concern about changes in the North Atlantic are looked at in a recent Washington Post article: Why some scientists are worried about a surprisingly cold ‘blob’ in the North Atlantic Ocean

NOAA National Weather Service life-saving warnings for tornado in Charleston, South Carolina were explained in a recent Charleston Post and Courier article: Johns Island residents had seven-minute warning before tornado hit

Data Releases Next Week:  Personal Income and Outlays: August (BEA); Construction Spending: August (Census); Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: August (Census).  

Innovation

Manufacturing Day is a Nationwide Opportunity- You can find an event near you on our MFG Day events page or follow #MFGDay15 on Twitter to see what’s happening in your area. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the exciting careers manufacturing has to offer.

Strengthening Our Digital Infrastructure Is Key to America’s Path Forward- At a time when technological innovation and economic growth go hand-in-hand, our digital infrastructure is central to our competitiveness. That is why the U.S. Department of Commerce, with agencies across the Administration, is working to foster continued investment in broadband networks.

Commerce to Host Second Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership Summit- The Obama Administration has made supporting manufacturing a top priority. The Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) program is a great example of that support.

Secretary Pritzker Outlines America’s Innovation Agenda at MIT- Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker traveled to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to lay out America’s “Path Forward” on innovation and meet directly with some of America’s leading researchers and innovators.

USPTO Kicks Off “All in STEM” Initiative- The importance of increasing the representation of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields was the main topic of Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Michelle K. Lee’s presentation at the Million Women Mentors Summit at the National Press Club in Washington D.C.

Equipping Volunteer Responders with Broadband Technologies- FirstNet has been charged by Congress to build, operate, and maintain the first high-speed, nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety. Knowing those that we serve at FirstNet is all too important.