World Trade - April 2009 - (Page 13) increases. UK government statistics, for example, reported a 19 percent increase in violent crime during the recession of the early 1990s. We expect 2009 to be one of the toughest years of the last decade in terms of cargo crime statistics.” With a 50 percent increase in reported thefts last year, TAPA says consumer electronics, food, metal, clothing, and footwear were among the most frequently stolen products. BY THE Numbers Top U.S. Box Ports PORT 1 2 3 4 5 6 Los Angeles Long Beach New York/New Jersey Savannah Oakland Hampton Roads, VA Seattle Tacoma, WA Houston Charleston Honolulu Port Everglades Miami Jacksonville, FL Baltimore Anchorage Wilmington, DE Portland Philadelphia New Orleans TEUs 8,355,039 7,316,465 5,299,105 2,604,312 2,388,182 2,128,366 1,973,504 1,924,934 1,768,627 1,754,376 1,125,382 948,687 884,945 710,073 610,466 504,844 284,352 260,128 253,492 250,649 try heavyweights, capable of producing more than 2 million units a year, while four or five others would have annual output capacity of 1 million units. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers says production last year reached 9.34 million units. Japan, Peru Hold Free Trade Talks PACT WOULD ELIMINATE MOST TARIFFS ON GOODS Officials from Japan and Peru met in Tokyo last month to discuss a free trade agreement that would eliminate tariffs on most products traded between the two countries. Bilateral trade between Japan and Peru totaled $2.785 billion in 2007, with Japan’s main exports items consisting of automobiles, tires, and steel products, while copper, silver, zinc, and fish flour were the top imports. Already, Japan has signed free trade agreements with eight countries, including Singapore, Mexico, Malaysia, Chile, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines. Canada, Turkey Conclude Aviation Pact PASSENGER AND CARGO FLIGHTS TO BENEFIT Government officials from Canada and Turkey have signed an agreement to allow scheduled flights to operate between to two countries. “Scheduled air services with Turkey would benefit Canada’s tourism and provide more convenience to travelers,” said Canada’s Transport Minister John Baird. “As one of our Government’s objectives under the Blue Sky policy, this will help increase competitiveness for air travel.” The agreement provides rights that will allow airlines initially to operate passenger and/or all-cargo air services with discretion to choose routings and the cities in each other’s territory to serve. Airlines will also have flexibility in the setting of their prices, allowing them to react quickly to changing market conditions. “By allowing the creation of new routes, this agreement will help Canadian businesses accessing market opportunities in Turkey, while strengthening our relationship with this long-standing and important partner,” said the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Source: American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), 2007 Turkish Airlines intends to introduce non-stop flights between Istanbul and Toronto this summer. Air Canada is reviewing the air rights now available with a view to determining their possible use with airline alliance partners. Canada’s Blue Sky policy encourages competition and the development of new and expanded international air services to benefit Canadian travelers, shippers, and the tourism and business sectors. In recent years, Canada has successfully expanded agreements covering all of its most important markets and plans to continue opening up new opportunities for the Canadian air industry in 2009. China’s Plans for Auto Sector GOAL IS TO CREATE TWO OR THREE DOMINANT PLAYERS China’s government wants to boost production in the auto sector by reducing the total number of companies and promoting two or three to become dominant players, reports Agence France-Presse. Specifically, the State Council announced in February that by 2011, it wanted to cut the number of major domestic automakers, who are responsible for 90 percent of domestic sales and output, from 14 to 10. Under the plan, two or three companies would be the indus- Two New Box Terminals for Port of Taipei TRADE WITH MAINLAND CHINA EXPECTED TO INCREASE The Port of Taipei opened two container terminals in March as part of the government’s plan to turn Taiwan into a regional trade hub. Three ocean container lines, which formed a partnership called the Taipei Port Container Terminal Corp. (TPCT), invested $583 million to build the terminals. Although the Port of Taipei was originally intended to handle only domestic cargo shipments, its role has been WWW.WORLDTRADEMAG.COM 13 http://WWW.WORLDTRADEMAG.COM
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.