California Chamber Seeks Support for China Trade Relations
Local small business leaders will be honored in an awards luncheon May 25, in honor of Small & Emerging Business Week, May 21 through May 27.
The “2000 Tribute to Small & Emerging Business Awards Luncheon” will honor Sean P. McDermott, of Advanced Protection Systems, Inc., as Small Businessperson of the Year. Yvonne B. Jackson, of Peninsula Bank, is the Women in Business Advocate of the Year.
John Nienstedt, of Competitive Edge Research & Communication, won the Entrepreneurial Success award, while Henry Barros, of Dwight Gove Agency, Inc., is the Minority Owned Small Business of the Year.
Gale Renea Walker, of Children of the Rainbow, is the Welfare-to-Work Small Business Owner of the Year.
The luncheon will start at 11 a.m. at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center in Mission Valley. Individual seats are $55 before May 22, $85 after May 22. The cost for a table of 10 is $400, with a deadline of May 22.
To sign up, call Amanda Keller at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce at (619) 544-1354.
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China Trade: The California Chamber of Commerce is urging small businesses to get in touch with their representatives and senators in Washington, D.C., to approve permanent normal trade relations status for China.
Improving trade with China has been a top priority for the Clinton administration, as it has been during the Bush, Reagan and Carter administrations. A vote on the matter has been set for the House in three weeks. A Senate vote should happen sometime after that.
The move by the House could help protect 30,000 jobs in California, and possibly open up markets to create even more employment, said Allan Zaremberg, president of the California Chamber of Commerce.
“Permanent normal trade relations status is critical to opening opportunities for California companies to conduct trade with China, which is the state’s 11th largest export market,” he said.
California has much to gain from the agreement if Congress votes to make permanent the same normal trade status for China that the Legislature has renewed annually for nearly 20 years, Zaremberg said.
Permanent normal trade relations would open the door to China’s consumer marketplace , the world’s largest, with a population of more than 1.2 billion.
The agreement will zero out tariffs on exporting California-made semiconductors, computers, telecommunications equipment and other technology products by 2005, Zaremberg said.
China’s commitments on agriculture will include an end to cotton and rice export subsidies and increase import quotas, while lowering tariffs on beef, poultry, citrus, almonds, wine, cheese and other products.
Liberalization of restrictions on foreign films, videos and sound recordings, as well as movie theater ownership and operation, will provide new opportunities for California’s entertainment industry, Zaremberg said.
Failure by Congress to extend permanent normal trade relations to China could hurt California and the rest of the nation, Zaremberg said. China could still become a member of the World Trade Organization, but the benefits of the global commerce agreement would only be extended to countries that had normal trade relations with China, he said.
Offer For Entrepreneurs: Aspiring entrepreneurs can receive a free one-year membership in the Institute for Entrepreneurship if they act before May 31. The membership will allow entrepreneurs educational opportunities, start-up assistance and access to capital.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for aspiring as well as active entrepreneurs,” said Felix Strevell, chairman and chief executive officer for the Albany-based Institute for Entrepreneurship.
“Through the end of May, we are waiving our annual membership fee of $149 and unlocking the door to success. For the next several weeks, entrepreneurs from around the world can take care of the Institute’s tremendous resources,” he said.
The offer of a free one-year membership is available to aspiring or active entrepreneurs regardless of age, location, or experience, he said.
Membership benefits include access to capital, grants and scholarships ranging from $250 to $5,000, networking opportunities, and discounts on Institute-sponsored educational credit and noncredit programs. Members also get discounts on products and services from partnering corporations, organizations and associations.
To sign up, call (877) 275-6943 or visit its Web site at (www.nyie.org).
Send your small business and retail news to Lee Zion at (lzion@sdbj.com).
