October 24, 2014
Greetings from
Seoul! This week I joined Secretary Pritzker on her first trade mission to
Asia, where we visited Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea. We were accompanied
by 20 U.S. firms in the health care and energy sectors. As our fourth and
sixth-largest trading partners respectively, Japan and South Korea present
ample opportunities for U.S. businesses to sell their goods and services. While
meeting with foreign government officials and CEOs, Secretary Pritzker
emphasized that the United States is – and always will be – a Pacific nation.
This reflects President Obama’s goal to increase U.S. engagement with
the Asia-Pacific region. As America’s chief commercial advocate, Secretary
Pritzker is committed to deepening the economic dimension
of this engagement. During the trade mission, she focused on
reinforcing trade agreements that reflect U.S. values, like the Trans-Pacific
Partnership and U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement.
Around Commerce,
Under Secretary Doms celebrated World Statistics Day by recounting the 200+
years of Commerce’s role as America’s Data Agency; NOAA uncovered a hidden
World War Two battlefield off the coast of North Carolina; and Deputy Secretary
Bruce Andrews has launched his Twitter account. Make sure to follow him - @DepSecAndrews!
All the best,
Wendy
Commerce
Secretary Pritzker Begins Business Development Mission to Japan and Seeks
Opportunities for U.S. Companies in Health Care and Energy Sectors- During
the meeting with Japan’s Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Yasuhisa Shiozak,
Secretary Pritzker addressed the importance of continued engagement on medical
device and pharmaceutical issues, stressing the concerns the industry has with
annual price revisions in the medical devices and pharmaceutical sectors.
Secretary Pritzker Joins Ambassador Kennedy and
Japanese Leaders to Discuss Women’s Economic Contributions- During
the meeting, Secretary Pritzker expressed that she is encouraged by Prime
Minister Abe’s current efforts to revitalize the Japanese economy. The Japanese
government is working to set the standard by recruiting more women in
government, increasing the availability of daycare and afterschool care, and
encouraging the private sector to promote more women.
Secretary
Pritzker Meets with Korean Leaders to Expand Trade and Grow Economic
Partnerships- Secretary Pritzker reaffirmed President Obama’s commitment to
deepen U.S. engagement in Asia and emphasized that her visit to Korea is a
reflection of the commercial and economic component of the President’s
rebalance to Asia.
Medidata Is Aligned With Trade Mission To Help
Transform Global Life Science- Beyan Spielman, Executive Vice
President of Medidata, wrote that the business development mission to Japan and
South Korea is bringing invaluable connections to the region’s regulatory and
industry leaders in the life sciences. During the trip to Japan, he had the
opportunity to meet with Japan’s Minister of
Health Yasuhisa Shiozaki, senior leadership at the Pharmaceuticals and Medical
Devices Agency (PMDA) in charge of promoting information technology, and
Japanese pharma industry leaders.
MBDA
Business Centers Celebrate MED Week During October- Each year, thousands of
minority-owned firms across a variety of industries converge upon various cities
to connect with public and private sector buyers, explore avenues for business
expansion, and develop thriving partnerships with firms across multiple
industry sectors.
Commerce
Partners with Small Business Administration for the Launch of Business Sunday
in Houston, Texas- More than 500 people attended the “Business Sunday” event,
showcasing the strong demand among business owners and entrepreneurs for
information on the high-impact business development resources offered by the
federal government. Business Sunday is a reflection of the Obama
Administration's efforts to strengthen the economy by empowering the people to
effect positive change at the local level.
Ohio Preps to Support the Next Generation of Exporters- The Ohio Export Internship Program is a
special track for students looking to contribute to the future of global
businesses in Ohio. The program features a specially-designed exporting course
in the spring, followed by an export-related internship in the summer.
SHOP
Marketplace: 8 Things You Can Do to Get Ready- The SHOP Marketplace makes
it possible for small businesses to provide qualified health plans to their
employees. No matter what state you do business in, you’ll have access to the
Small Business Health Options Program Marketplace.
NIST
Offers Electronics Industry Two Ways to Snoop on Self-Organizing Molecules-
The work focuses on block copolymers, a special class of polymers that under the
proper conditions, will segregate on a microscopic scale into regularly spaced
“domains” of different chemical composition.
Regional
Latin America and the Caribbean: Renewable Grid Integration Orientation Visit-
During the visit, the delegates will have the opportunity to meet with top U.S.
government officials, financing institutions and U.S. companies to gain
exposure to policies, best practices, financing options and technologies that
can support efforts to modernize power grids in key countries in Latin America
and the Caribbean.
Grandparents
Who Live with a Grandchild are Younger and More Likely to be in Poverty- The
Census Bureau’s Renee Ellis writes that about 10 percent of the nation’s 65
million grandparents live with at least one grandchild.
Uncovering
a Hidden Battleground- After poring over historical records and sweeping
the seafloor with cutting-edge technology, NOAA researchers have pinpointed the
long-buried wrecks of the freighter Bluefields and German U-boat U-576 off the
North Carolina coast.
Cybersecurity
for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses and Entrepreneurs- The
Department of Homeland Security and other Federal agencies are dedicated to
helping improve the cybersecurity of small and medium-sized businesses. This
blog post list six steps businesses of all sizes can take to ensure they are
more secure.
Under
Secretary Doms wrote about Commerce
Data: Then & Now.
Sales
of new single family houses in September 2014 were 467,000 at a seasonally
adjusted annual rate, up 0.2 percent from August’s revised rate and up 17.0
percent from September 2013.
Commerce Data in the News: NTIA’s
data on Internet and mobile phone use, which was included in the Digital Nation
report, was highlighted in a New York Times story, “Phone Use for Photos and Videos Is Increasing, Report
Finds,” and in an article from USA
Today, “More Americans using mobile devices to access Internet.”
The
Wall Street Journal cites the Census
Bureau’s latest report on grandparents and their living arrangements in the
article, More
American Children are Living With Their Grandparents.
USA
Today
cites Census Bureau statistics on sex, employment and income to write that
women make up almost half of the workforce, yet, even working full-time and
year-round, they were paid only 79 cents for every dollar men made in the
article The
10 Worst States for Women.
The Washington
Post
cites Census Bureau statistics on population and voting to note that there are
more rural counties in America, and they tend to vote Republican; however,
there are more people in the remaining urban counties, and they tend to vote
for Democrats, so says the article, There
Really are Two Americas. An Urban One and a Rural One.
Texas A&M’s online The Battalion news quotes the Economics and Statistics
Administration’s STEM reports showing the need for
more women in stem careers in “Blame it on Barbie.”
Fierce
Government quotes Under Secretary of Economic Affairs
about the new
report on how the Commerce Department can improve data quality and accessibly.
Data Releases Next
Week: Advance Report on Durable Goods: September
(Census); Housing Vacancies and Homeownership: 2014 Q3 (Census); Gross Domestic
Product: 2014 Q3 (Advance) (BEA)
On Monday, Deputy Secretary Bruce Andrews will
travel to Kansas City, MO, to meet with National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) employees at the and give
keynote remarks at the National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO)
Conference. He will also meet with District Export Council (DEC) members to
discuss increasing exports.
Also
on Monday, Census Bureau Director John Thompson (Director) will meet with TomTom company representatives
in Lebanon, N.H., to learn more about capabilities and methodologies for
geospatial updating and change control.
On Wednesday, Secretary Pritzker will be
interviewed by John Harwood of CNBC on the economy and tools needed for
continued growth at the sixth annual Washington Ideas Forum hosted by The
Atlantic and The Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C.
Also on Wednesday, MBDA National Deputy Director Albert Shen will give remarks in the Asian/Pacific
Islander America Chapter of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ACE) New York Chapter
Launch Event in New York City.
Starting
on Thursday, Secretary Pritzker will travel to Ottawa and Toronto, Canada, to
meet with Canadian Government officials and Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal,
Mexico’s Secretary of Economy, and discuss increasing North American
competitiveness in a global economy at the North America Competitiveness and
Innovation Conference.
On Thursday, Assistant Secretary for
Economic Development Jay Williams will deliver opening remarks at the Investing
in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) Summit at the Herbert C. Hoover
Building in Washington, D.C.
Also on Thursday, Under Secretary for
International Trade Stefan M. Selig will participate in a one-hour virtual
conference hosted by the Economist in New York City. The event is part of ITA’s
Trade Horizons series, which the Economist is producing in partnership with
UPS.
On Friday, Deputy Commerce Secretary Bruce Andrews will give closing remarks at
the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) Summit at the Department of
Commerce headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Secretary Penny
Pritzker met with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; Ambassador Caroline
Kennedy; and Japan’s Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Yasuhisa Shiozaki on
the Tokyo
stop of the trade mission.
Royals vs.
Giants- The Census Bureau created a graphic that shows a statistical
comparison between Kansas City, Mo. (population 467,007) and San Francisco,
Calif. (pop. 837,442) — the two cities involved in the 2014 World Series.
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