World Trade Center-Kansas City News: September, 2022
Oct 05, 2022
A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
World Trade Center – Kansas City wrapped an eventful September. WTC-KC is proud to host events that bring dignitaries and experts to Kansas City to share their perspectives and insights. On September 16, we welcomed Maor Elbaz Starinsky, Consul General of Israel in Miami, in partnership with the JCRB/AJC, for a business roundtable discussion. The Consul General shared insights on opportunities for businesses in Israel. Learn more here.
To close out the month, WTC-KC hosted our 7th Annual Go Global KC event. To dive deeper into our theme of ally-shoring, we partnered with NASCO to bring Elaine Dezenski, The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and John Austin, Michigan Economic Center, Brookings Institution & Chicago Council of Global Affairs, to Kansas City to present the keynote address. They argued that in the 21st century, it is important that we don’t retreat from the world. In an increasingly globalized world, ally-shoring is useful when it just doesn’t make sense to keep production at home. With ally-shoring, we can promote our democratic values through trade and create more good jobs in democracies across the world. They impress the importance of thinking about ally-shoring now, as we work to rebuild our supply chains to be more competitive after the disruptions of the early stages of the pandemic.
Earlier in the program, WTC-KC was proud to announce the DeSoto Economic Development Council as the 2022 Outstanding Economic Development Agency and the Greater Kansas City Foreign Trade Zone as the 2022 Outstanding Service Provider. We were grateful to have to opportunity to provide an educational program as well as recognize some outstanding organizations that help keep the Kansas City International Business Community exceptional. Thank you to those who were able to join us in person for the event. Coming up this Friday, WTC-KC will be welcoming the State of Missouri’s Foreign Office Directors from Brazil, Canada and Mexico. Register for the market update presentation here. To be connected with the directors for one-on-one consultations, please reach out to gdolan@kcchamber.com.
Events
Connect India 2022 – International Trade Show
WTCA & WTC-Mumbai
July 31 – November 29
Register here
Forte Young Professionals Event
Kansas City Symphony
October 6
Register here
U.S. Involvement in Africa
International Relations Council (IRC)
October 6
Register here
Doing Business with Brazil, Canada, and Mexico
World Trade Center – Kansas City (WTC-KC)
October 7
Register here
2023 NFL Draft Business Connect
National Football League (NFL) & Greater Kansas City Sports Commission
October 7
Apply here
Energy Fest 2022
U.S. Commercial Service (USCS) & The Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition (LAGCOE)
October 19 – 21
Register here
2022 Mid-America Trade Summit
University of Missouri (MU) and WTC-KC
November 1 – 2
Register here
Executive Led Aerospace and Defense Trade Mission
November 1 – 10
Apply here
SCEWC 2022
Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC)
November 15 – 17
Register here
Trade Essentials: Learn How to Expand your Business Globally
November 17
Register here
Dispatches from DC
In early August, U.S. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan in hopes of preserving democracy in the country. At that time, Chinese military drills were already disrupting trade flows. Following Pelosi’s visit, China banned thousands of food imports from Taiwan and are still strictly enforcing product labeling of other imports from Taiwan. After the visit, the world’s biggest electric vehicle (EV) battery company delayed the announcement of their new North American battery plant, a project that is set to be a major investment in the region. Meanwhile, in the United States, President Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act which encourages microprocessor manufacturing facilities to be built in the United States, lessening our dependence on China.
In a 60-minute interview on Thursday September 15, 2022, President Biden said that the U.S. would defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion from China, in contrast to the U.S.’s response to the invasion of Ukraine. After the interview, an official from the White House said that the policy on Taiwan had not changed, despite the President’s interview. The U.S. will maintain "strategic ambiguity" on whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan. However, because of the Taiwan Relations Act, passed in 1979, the U.S. is obligated to help equip Taiwan to defend itself. In September 2022, the State Department issued a $1.1 billion sale of military equipment to Taiwan. In a press briefing, on September 6, 2022, State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel said,
“We have, and we will continue to be responsible, steady, and resolute and keep our lines of communication open with Beijing, but also continue to support Taiwan in consistent-- in ways that are consistent with our policy."
Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu believes that the President’s comment is sending “wrong signals” and jeopardizing the United States’ relations with China. Rising tensions between China and Taiwan could cause significant disruptions in supply chains and trade between the U.S. and China, especially if the White House’s policy shifts. Read more about the President’s interview here and about Pelosi’s visit here.
