Podcasts about free trade zones

Greetings Glocal Citizens! Increasingly, I am thinking thoughts about places of being that better reflect citizen-centered social, economic and built enviroments. In recent conversation with Paul Damalie (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/paul-kwesi-damalie) and following the works of another fellow GC, Chinedu Echeruo (https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/beloved-ecosystem-6923267349097680896/) (which happens to be how I came across this week's guest), those thoughts are beginning to rise into a mental framework for manifesting that new world. Born and raised in Nigeria, Victor Ndukwe is an Architect that has evolved over the years straddle tech and design. He is currently a founding team member of Itana (formerly Talent City) (https://www.itana.africa) and is positioned to change the environmental and economic landscape in Africa. Victor developed a keen mind for technical things in his formative years and honed his creativity in architecture school. He is a T-shaped individual (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-shaped_skills) with strong skills in Architecture and environmental planning and secondary skills in programming - a hardcore java developer once upon a time. He has worked in architecture firms, software development firms, real estate development firms, and now city developers. He has his eyes set on developing the infrastructure in Africa by unlocking capital for development as well as solving the critical problem of energy in Africa. Victor's optimism and committment are clear as you'll come to understand in our conversation, and with this blueprint, his vision is looking like a present many on the Continent have been anticipating. Where to find Victor? Find out more about the Donacare Foundation (http://www.donacarefoundation.org) On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorndukwe/) On X (https://twitter.com/vndukwe) What's Victor listening to? Johann Sebastian Bach (lin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGA1v6gZj1s) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (https://www.classicfm.com/composers/mozart/music/) George Frideric Handel (https://www.classicfm.com/composers/handel/) Other topics of interest: Umahia or Ama Ahia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umuahia) in Abia State (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abia_State), Nigeria About Governor Alex Otti (https://www.alexotti.com) Discovery Channel (https://www.discovery.com) Charter Cities Institute (https://chartercitiesinstitute.org/intro/#whycc) Computer Village. Ikeja Lagos (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Village) The Echelon Conspiracy Film (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echelon_Conspiracy) NIIT Nigeria (https://www.niit.com/nigeria) Free Trade Zones in Nigeria (https://nepza.gov.ng/free-zones/) What is Industry 3.0? (https://tech-labs.com/blog/evolution-industry-10-40-and-beyond) Special Guest: Victor Ndukwe.

Part 2 covers the “Further Complexity and Challenges” of supply chains, and you explore how the last 50 years have added even more complexity. This part covers the rising demand for goods and the increasing consumer expectations for fast, perfect delivery services. 00:00:00.751 Introduction: Further Complexity and Challenges in Supply Chains 00:01:41.748 The Evolution of Industrial Revolutions 00:14:39.859 Short-term Focus of Wall Street and Cost Cutting 00:16:51.371 Ethical Companies with Veto Power in Supply Chain 00:19:05.497 Complexity of Supply Chain Leads to Lack of Transparency 00:22:18.074 The Hidden Structure of Supply Chains Revealed 00:22:58.371 Supplier Secrecy and Business Management 00:24:55.140 The Horsemeat Scandal: Lack of Awareness 00:26:35.611 IKEA's Past Controversies and Sustainability Efforts 00:29:55.209 The Function of Free Trade Zones 00:35:23.620 The Dilemma of Climate Change and Consumer Behavior 00:39:22.406 VUCA: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity in Supply Chains 00:41:55.300 Moving Final Production Step to Vietnam for Political Reasons 00:42:27.457 Environmental concerns and reliance on Chinese materials 00:45:22.956 Costly Investments in Emergency Operations and Drills 00:48:11.291 The Success Story of Private Equity and Innovation 00:50:47.965 The Bullwhip Effect: Supplier Reactions and Market Fluctuations Mentioned by Yossi: In a visit to MIT, FedEx founder Frederick Smith shares thoughts on innovation:  

① Ten years on: How have China's free trade zones spearheaded trade and opening-up? (00:54) ② Foreign institutions express positive views on the A-share market and China's economic growth. (12:30) ③ The China Coast Guard says the Philippines' claim about removing Chinese blocking nets at Huangyan Island is purely fabricated. (24:42) ④ DPRK amends its constitution on nuclear policy, citing the need to deter U.S. provocations. (35:38)

President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to build higher-level pilot free trade zones with an emphasis on institutional innovation to further promote institutional opening-up on par with advanced international standards and rules.Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a recent instruction on advancing the construction of pilot FTZs.The instruction was read by Vice-Premier He Lifeng at a symposium on the 10th anniversary of the nation's construction of pilot FTZs, which was held in Beijing on Tuesday.In the instruction, Xi pointed out that building pilot FTZs is an important strategic step that the CPC Central Committee has taken to promote reform and opening-up in the new era.He spoke highly of the role of the pilot FTZs in China's development in the past decade, saying that they have implemented the decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee, adhered to innovation and introduced a large number of fundamental and pioneering measures for reform and opening-up.They have made many landmark and exemplary achievements in institutional innovation, effectively playing a role as a comprehensive experimental platform for reform and opening-up, he said.Xi emphasized that on the new journey, the nation should implement the strategy of upgrading the pilot zones based on a comprehensive summary of experience in building the pilot FTZs over the past 10 years.Efforts should be made to forge ahead with a pioneering spirit, overcome difficulties, conduct explorations in a broader range of fields and at a deeper level, and strive to build pilot FTZs at a higher level, he added.Xi called for efforts to focus on institutional innovation, coordinate development and security, align with advanced international economic and trade rules and promote innovative development of the entire industrial chain, in order to enable the pilot FTZs to better play an exemplary role.Participants of the meeting include officials from relevant central departments as well as those from the 21 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions where the FTZs are located.Since China's first pilot FTZ was established in Shanghai in 2013, the nation has built 21 FTZs nationwide. Up to 302 institutional innovations have been nurtured in these areas and promoted nationwide, according to the Ministry of Commerce.Exemplary英/ɪg'zemplərɪ/美/ɪɡ'zɛmpləri/adj.模范的

Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed high-level openness and institutional innovation as key in building the country's free trade pilot zones.

Enrique Buero is the General Manager at Parque de las Ciencias Free Zone, which is one of 14 free trade zones in the nation of Uruguay. Host Francisco Gonzalez led a Fearless Journeys group trip to Uruguay in March and had the opportunity to bring the group to Parque de las Ciencias. We now bring you their story through this interview with the Enrique Buero, the general manager of the free trade zone that Fearless Journeys visited in Montevideo. Enrique is also a board member and President of the Uruguayan Chamber of Free Trade Zones. You can learn more about Parque de las Ciencias: https://www.zonafrancapdlc.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bWZZEdhW5TM Follow the Agents of Innovation podcast on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AgentsOfInnovationPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innovationradio/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/agentinnovation You can support this podcast and our Fearless Journeys community on our Patreon account: www.patreon.com/fearlessjourneys

Dive into the complexities of Trade-Based Money Laundering (TBML) in this insightful episode.Join us with our guest, Bruce Viney, the Director of Financial Crime Compliance Training at CCL Academy, as we explore TBML's intricacies, how criminals manipulate trade, and the challenges financial institutions and regulated companies face.Get ready for an information-packed discussion covering topics such as:Defining Trade-Based Money Laundering (TBML) and exploring its unique methodsIdentifying key indicators, red flags, and risk-management measures to protect against TBMLThe importance of robust KYC processes and supply chain transparency in combating TBMLHarnessing advanced technologies and transaction monitoring systems for TBML detectionRoles of Free Trade Zones, major organizations, and collaborative efforts in mitigating TBML risksAdapting to the latest regulatory updates in AML and compliance related to TBML preventionDon't miss out on this fascinating look into the secretive world of Trade-Based Money Laundering.Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thibault Serlet is the Director of Research at the Adrianople Group and architect of the world's largest SEZ dataset. Thibault founded the Startup Societies Foundation in 2015, a nonprofit which studies and promotes Special Economic Zones and new city projects. He is on the board of advisors of the Center for Innovative Governance Research, and has worked at several startups in the cybersecurity, hardware, and blockchain fields.

Nigeria's free trade zones attracted over $46.6 billion in investment into the nation's economy. Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority, Adesoji Adesugba, says trade zones being regulated by NEPZA attracted over $30 billion in investments since the inception of the scheme in 1992, while Kaura put the investments attracted by OGFZA since 1996 at $16.6 billion. He says that the global business model was meeting its objective of fast-tracking economic growth and industrialization. He says the decision of the Federal Government to key into this concept has remained legendary as the model has become a key driver of the nation's economy.

Escuche en esta serie en español al variado grupo de expertos que hace vida en Crane Worldwide Logistics compartir tendencias, oportunidades, nuevas regulaciones y desafíos logísticos que enfrentan las cadenas de suministro a lo largo de centro y sur América. En esta ocasión nos acompaña Emilio Montes de Oca (Country Manager para México) quien comparte cómo se encuentra estructurado el equipo en esa región, así como también comparte sus recomendaciones en relación a IMMEX, Free Trade Zones y otros programas que permiten a diversas empresas aprovechar la ubicación estratégica que ofrece México. - #CraneWorldwideLogistics #Logistics #SupplyChain #Warehousing #FreightForwarding #FreightForwarder #CustomsBroker #TradeAdvisory #LogisticsPodcast #SupplyChainPodcast #TheCraneWay #Podcast #Logistica #CadenaDeSuministro #FreightForward #Almacenamiento #Distribucion #SurAmerica Para más información visite https://es.craneww.com/.

In 2021, CIPE launched a new applied research initiative to engage business leaders in emerging democracies with actionable knowledge on policy solutions for democratic free-market systems. Today, Policy and Program Learning's Kim Bettcher and Mikra Krasniqi are joined by researcher Tiffany Qiu to discuss her work on Free Trade Zones and introduce the upcoming Research Unbound webinar series. Click here to register for the upcoming webinar: "Do Free Trade Zones Stimulate Entrepreneurship?"

The half hour episode explores how organisations in different countries from across the Clean Clothes Campaign network supported workers in the time of COVID. In this episode, we hear how: Community mobilisation defended a garment worker in Romania; Trade unions and worker organisations made gains in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; The effects of the pandemic in Turkey has led to a re-think on future campaigns to support worker rights; Plus thoughts and reflections on the impact of COVID on worker organising.Please share your feedback, comments and questions, by emailing: podcast@cleanclothes.orgSpeakers:Laura Stefanut, campaigner and former investigative journalist, RomaniaAnton Marcus, Joint Secretary of FTZ&GSEU (Free Trade Zone and General Services Employees Union), Sri LankaKalpona Akter, Executive Director of BCWS (Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity)Bego Demir, Clean Clothes Campaign, TurkeyChristie Miedema, Clean Clothes Campaign International Office, NetherlandsMandy Felicia, EILER (Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research), PhilippinesHost: Febriana Firdaus (febrianafirdaus.com)Sound Engineering Support:  Steve Adam (www.spectrosonics.com.au)Producer: Matthew AbudClean Clothes Podcast Team: Anne Dekker, Johnson Ching-Yin Yeung, Liz Parker, Tanne de GoeiFull Transcript HOSTWelcome to the first episode of the first series of the Clean Clothes podcast. I'm Febriana Firdaus.  As this episode is being produced, we've all heard terrible news out of Myanmar, with the military overthrow of the elected parliament. From all of us on the podcast, and certainly everyone in Clean Clothes, we want to express our solidarity and support to everyone from our network in Myanmar.  And to all the people of that country who stand for democracy, and for human rights and the rights of workers.  We're also sending our solidarity to my co-host, Manny Maung – she's completely caught up now, in the response to the military coup.  We'll have more to say from Clean Clothes, at the end of the show. We know that under COVID, brands have cancelled orders and refused to pay for completed work.  Many suppliers have cut wages and fired workers, who have far too often also been excluded from social safety nets and other support. In Romania one worker, Angelica Manole, protested against her wage cut.  Laura Stefanut is a former investigative journalist there, who got involved in the campaign. She tells the story.  LAURAAngelica is a brave worker who spoke about the fact that she was only paid about one hundred and forty Euros for one month's work. Each day she worked at least eight hours a day and she was paid like about half the minimum legal wage in Romania. So she spoke about this on Facebook. I believe she was the first garment worker that was so outspoken and so open to speaking to journalists and to Facebook friends. That's how we found out.  The company Tanex where Angelica was working, they're among the biggest garment factories in Romania. Certainly they're a famous factory. They were actually in the past they were trying to attract workers by saying that they pay more than other factories because as you probably know, in Romania workers are only paid the minimum wage, they work extra hours many times unpaid, the living wage is way above the legal minimum wage here so we're talking about people who work but stay poor.  At the factory what they did when the inspection went there, they said that she didn't work actually. So basically they lied, they said that she didn't come to work. But then you know it was a public scandal, I mean I helped her write some complaints to the Ministry of Labour, to the worker inspection, I also myself wrote complaints. I also contacted the Labour Ministry in Romania directly by phone and I was promised that things would be resolved and somehow they were, I mean there was another inspection which found the first inspection was wrong, and actually the factory did not register any absence of the worker, she was obviously there. So they fined the factory. Angelica was fired by Tanex. So even having all the national media's attention on you, even having strong figures who are taking your side like the Minister itself, she was still fired by the factory. Why, the factory wrote that she was fired because she spoke to the media.  I decided to generate a fundraising for Angelica, so we can cover the costs for her during the trial which lasted at least six months and have her paid the minimum salary, what she had at the factory. And it was amazing, in less than two days all the money were raised and there was huge support for Angelica from the public, you know, they were like cheering her, and actually so much money was raised that we were able to help three persons who were laid off from the factory. I think that this was utterly important, because the factories try to show that if you don't do exactly what the factory wants you to do, then you are, it's game over for you. And it usually is you know, so it's so important to show that the community can support you in such cases. It's utterly important.  Then I proposed this Urgent Appeal to the Clean Clothes Campaign on Angelica's case because I thought it made all the sense. She was very involved, she was very active, we knew the brands, we had a lot of data on the factory. They contacted the brands that were headquartered in those specific countries. At first it didn't seem to go well because the brands were reluctant, they were saying we were not right, the factories were saying everything is ok, look. So the CCC actually provided proof of these fines, and proof that the factory was actually lying to the brands. And they finally you know, they were convinced.  All the workers were paid. This was indeed a victory, even those who were fired, they were finally given the money, all the money they were owed. But this was just a case where everybody got involved you know. There are over one hundred and twenty thousand workers in this industry, like legally registered. So in order to make things work like for a bigger length of time, you have to have the people inside who know their rights, who are organised in one way or another.  There was a trade union, Unicomf, which was pretty active meaning that they heard about the case, they went there, they tried to get inside the factory, they were not allowed. So then they pushed together with the help of the brands and they were allowed inside the factory, they could talk to workers. But after this point they couldn't form a trade union. So they said Ok, guys we did what we could, we went there, we presented the case. If the workers didn't get subscribed then we cannot waste much resources because we don't have so much resources. Which I can understand, but at the same time we know that community organising or forming a trade union somewhere, it takes a lot of time and patience and some resources. They were helpful, but unfortunately a trade union was not formed there.  Things would not have been solved for the workers there, they would not have received their salaries, if there was not an international involvement and push. If you are not bullet proof when you go to war then they destroy you because the way they're lying, it's so you know natural I was shocked. I was shocked to see it, yeah. It's good to have the proof there, and to have as many witnesses as you can and as many documents as you can so when you go you just punch them and it's knockout.  HOSTThat's Laura Stefanut from Romania.  Angelica Manole was offered her old job back before the court case – but refused it. She's since found another job in her community.  COVID has hit garment workers hard in factories across the world. But the impacts and the responses are far from uniform.  A critical factor is the political space that trade unions can claim, along with other worker support organisations.  Our producer Matthew Abud, takes a look at the experiences of two South Asia countries, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. REPORTERIn Sri Lanka, a sudden lockdown in March left tens of thousands of garment workers stranded in Free Trade Zones, far from home villages and community networks of support.  The Free Trade Zone and General Services Employees Union, organised food rations, and also petitioned the government to help workers get back home.  In April the lockdown eased. Anton Marcus, is the union's Joint Secretary.  ANTONAnd then the government gradually reopened the factories. At that time we proposed the government to set up a tripartite task force to deal with the labour matters, because we told the government this is the time we have to come together. Because even the employers, or the government, or the trade unions cannot face these challenges alone. REPORTER The government had to move on the Task Force for several reasons.  ANTONBecause it very seriously impact on the export sector, and so our union is the majority union who represents the export sector employees. The other was at that time the government was preparing an election, general election. So politically they were very nervous,  that if there is any campaign or any protest, it will impact on their election result. So that is why the government had to appoint this task force.  REPORTERSocial distancing requirements meant factories couldn't re-start with a full workforce.  ANTON Then the employers took up the position that they're not in the position to pay the wages for the workers who are not reporting for work. At the beginning they said there are about five hundred thousand employees in the apparel sector, they want to dismiss three hundred thousand. So we said no way, because workers has to manage with their own. After we got the assurance that no-one will be dismissed, and then we said ok, we are agreed to introduce rotational system.  REPORTERAs well as defending jobs, through the Tripartite Task Force, Anton Marcus's union also negotiated financial support.  The eventual agreement meant that workers would not receive less than seventy five percent of their previous wage, even if they were not working.  In Bangladesh meanwhile, a recent report says over three hundred and fifty thousand garment workers lost their jobs.[1] As in Sri Lanka and other countries, unions mobilised to get food to workers.  Kalpona Akter is Executive Director of the labour rights advocacy organisation, Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity.  She says order cancellations by brands, and factory closures, brought fear and repression.  KALPONABut you know the workers' situation was more dire when factory management is started hand-picking them and firing. Like, pregnant workers was targeted, like they were like hand-picking these leaders and firing them. Many cases, I mean most of cases they didn't get the severances even. And one case I should mention that, the retaliation went that end that the factory kidnapped one of the union office-bearers middle of the night, and we had to jump on and we had to start fighting and keep calling all the polices and every security agency we can, to make sure that the guy not take away and he's not shipping to anywhere. And you know, we had been succeeded because we respond very rapidly on that but the factory keep doing retaliation to these workers as well. And lately our federation also facing that. But you know in general, this is what kind of freedom of association violations that our workers was facing. They were going in both ways, some of them was really afraid, that they don't want to raise voice because they will be lose their jobs which they cannot afford. And some of them really really says no, we have to fight back.  REPORTERYet along with the hardship, unions in both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have been able to build on their many responses, to boost membership. For Anton's union, this started by making sure workers were aware of how their rights had been defended.  This defense included stopping employer efforts to cut overtime payments, and to reduce labour law protections.  ANTONBecause of our intervention in the Tripartite Task Force, we got these kind of protective measures. And then we published, because worker don't know, workers don't know about these things. And the employers also hiding. So we published in the newspaper the basic thing of the Task Force decisions, and then we distributed the leaflets to raise the awareness among the workers about their rights under the pandemic, and as a result of our intervention some of the factory workers contacted us and they organised unions now. We got more than two thousand new members. So we supported them, and as a result they become members of our union.    REPORTERKalpona says while union membership initially dropped, unrelenting effort turned that around in mid-2020.  This includes her own organisation, which as a grassroots operation, has tens of thousands of solidarity members.  KALPONALike last, first few weeks, few months, we have been seen that it is decreasing enormously because then were so much fear just, they were focusing just to save their jobs, so they have money and they can feed themselves, at least they can live, you know, alive. I think we have been done our organising good in June July, during those two three months. And then from end of August it has been turning around and workers started coming to our centre in person. And we had to open the centre for them as well. So we took our life risk because they're taking risk as well.  So it is been turn back and now I think that workers are more strong enough to do organising though they knows that there might be so many consequences. They knows that they need to fight..  REPORTERKalpona thinks the emphasis of some labour organising may need to shift.  KALPONAThe COVID is not going like overnight or over year, it's a long run thing that we have in our planet now. So you know, if it is goes long then it will be consequences with the business, and if it is consequences with business that will be directly affect to the workers. So that in one way we feel we have more responsibility to work with government, manufacturers and brands, to make sure that our workers has unemployment insurance, has social security. So those are the areas will be focusing or working on more these days.  REPORTERAnton also sees several future challenges.  ANTONEmployers are very much getting, come together with the government. And we know that gradually the Army presence is getting increase in Sri Lanka, all the things are now undertaken by Army. So we see that there is a challenge. And maybe there will be a kind of a repression on us, so we have to be ready to face these challenges.  This is the good opportunity for workers to understand how important is the global solidarity, because this is the global challenge. We cannot find solution nationally. So therefore, we use this opportunity to educate the workers how important the global solidarity. And we want to see that the global unions and the other campaign organisations who are supporting for the employees, has to come together.  HOSTAnton Marcus ending that report from Matthew Abud. In Turkey the challenges to organising and supporting workers impacted by COVID has a different context.  After the attempted coup d'etat in 2016, the government cracked down on civil society, arresting thousands and shutting down many non-government organisations.  The coup's impact on trade unions and other worker support organisations remains profound. Bego Demir is with Clean Clothes Campaign in Turkey.  BEGOThe formulation of union also is changed. Like some union is also very close to government, like they organise factories when you check their numbers it's rising, but the worker, the union who actually support the workers right, which is like they work independently when you check their number it's going down. Like, clearly you understand from that picture like there is pressure like and effort from the government behind it.  HOSTThe structure of Turkey's garment sector also has a big role.  BEGOThe supply chain is big and it's differently formulated than other countries. You can see a lot of Tier 3, Tier 4 factories with just a few workers. Those small factories are unregistered, the workers work are unregistered, so unregistered workers, they don't have any rights.  HOST Bego says this means that, during the short lockdown in March, workers relied on family and community networks to survive – unions only had a minor role.  Unlike elsewhere, brands didn't cancel orders, likely because Turkey is so close to European consumer markets.  Factory workers were also exempted from later lockdown.  But they travelled and worked in crowded conditions where social distancing was impossible.  That meant a change of campaign tactics was needed. BEGOAt the first when Clean Clothes Campaign start their campaign, Pay Up Campaign, pay your workers campaign, so we joined that campaign but we saw the campaign is not covering all textile needs. So we start a campaign here as COVID to be recognised an occupational disease. Because legally when a worker has an occupational disease, doesn't matter when it's registered or unregistered, government have to give their rights. Because like, one hundred twenty one countries accepted like recognised COVID like occupational disease for health sector. So we so not just for health sector, for all workers. We get support for the campaign from all doctors, from like health sector as well, so we hope they will accept it, but it is a big challenge because it will be new. Let's see the result.  HOSTWithout this measure, unregistered workers can't get official support if they become sick with COVID.  Unregistered workers also can't legally join unions.  Over the longer term, protecting any of their rights – including health, or wages, or freedom of association – means this has to change.  BEGOWe reorganised our future structure. We were mostly focused on the living wage, on the workers' rights, but one of our main campaigns in future will be a way to register workers. Now we also spoke with some other partner in Turkey, some other NGOs, and they all realised that's a big problem. So in the future, somehow we need to push the government to make it work. I think like the reason government is not very strong to make all worker being registered, they want to attract people, attract brand especially, so they want to be in a competition with China. We want to change that, we want to convince them that cannot be a benefit for country.  HOST That's Bego Demir, from Clean Clothes in Turkey.  We've looked at several different examples of building trade unions and worker organisations, and defending rights in the time of COVID.   We asked Christie Miedema CHRISTIEI'm Christie Miedema. I work at the International Office of the Clean Clothes Campaign HOSTAnd Mandy Felicia  MANDYI am Mandy Felicia from ILIR, Philippines  HOSTFor their thoughts on how worker COVID's impacted worker organising MANDYDuring this COVID what stands out is really the collective effort of all the workers to try to sustain workers' organisations. We only do organising in communities and boarding houses of the workers. But during the pandemic it also prevented us from doing that, no? So what stands out really is the creative form how the workers tried to get in touch with each other. Using the new technology, and also the old technology of passing letters, no, to each other to give news to eqach other and to keep the organisations alive, by maintaining contact.  CHRISTIEWhat stands out to me is that COVID 19 has really created a threat of rolling back gains that were made in the past, rolling back workers rights, rolling back also maybe in the field of practices of brands becoming a bit more aware of how their choices influence their supply chains. We see them turning their backs on their supply chains, despite all those years of convincing brands that they're responsible for the supply chain.  MANDYThe pandemic also exposes the rottenness of the system, the capitalist system, how profit is given more importance than the lives of the people. Sad to say the system also took advantage of the crisis to exploit more, and take away the gains of the movement. The pandemic has taught us to rely more on ourselves and pinpoint the real importance of organisation, and the need to belong to one. There has been a lot of consciousness not only on the level of solidarity among the workers but also of international solidarity. Workers now see and understand more the global supply chain. They now look at how pandemic affected the workflow, the orders, you know the movement of the products have become very very conscious of that.  CHRISTIEI think a lot of the challenges that we'll continue to see are the ones that we did already. It's the fact that wages are not being paid, that workers are being dismissed without receiving their full severance pay, and the continued rollback of rights.  MANDYWe don't only have a problem with the pandemic. But also government using pandemic as an excuse to further repress and stop the people from being organised to challenge government policies. Last year on December 10 many unionists were arrested simultaneously, and a lot of unionists and labour rights defenders are now being accused of being rebels and are being put into jail using trumped-up charges. So we view with concern what is happening in Myanmar because we might have the same situation here, you know.  CHRISTIEAnd I think also the good thing is we have already learned from this, it took us all by surprise in March, in April, but we have learned to stay together and to face these challenges. So I think while the challenges might be similar, or while there might be new things coming towards us, we are stronger now, we have made up our minds and we know that we can stand together.  MANDYThere is a need to continuously assess, no.  Not only our situation but also our methods of organising and education, which is of paramount importance. But probably form is only secondary to the need of always working and being with the workers in their communities and workplaces if possible. We hope to find ways to better, for better security and health measures because I think the pandemic should not stop us from going to the workers. And that is the only thing that is constant for us, the need to organise ourselves, to assert our rights and together shape a better normal post-pandemic.  HOSTThat's Mandy Felicia.  And that's the end of our show.  Please send your thoughts, feedback, and questions. Email us at this address: podcast@cleanclothes.org. You can also see the email address on the podcast webpage. Matthew Abud produced this episode, with Anne Dekker, and the Clean Clothes Podcast team – Liz Parker, Tanne de Goei, and Johnson Chin-Yin Yeung. I'm Febriana Firdaus. See you for the next episode.  Before we go, a message from Clean Clothes about the situation in Myanmar. MIMMYThis is Mimmy Kowel, Coordinator of Clean Clothes Campaign South East Asia Coalition. This is our message to the workers in Myanmar. We, the global Clean Clothes Campaign Network, stand in solidarity with you. We condemn the military coup in Myanmar, and strongly urge all political leaders and military officials, to respect the 2020 election results, and restore the democratic process. All detained political leaders and activists should be released and no further arrests made. We will continue to closely follow the situation in your country, and we are ready to support as much as we can.   [1] Live blog, Jan. 23: https://cleanclothes.org/news/2021/live-blog-on-how-the-coronavirus-influences-workers-in-supply-chains

Wenn man in Shanghai bei T-Mall am Vormittag etwas bestellt, kann es sein, dass um 15 Uhr der Paketbote schon klingelt. Und das nicht nur bei chinesischen Produkten, sondern auch z.B. bei Omega-3 Fischöl von Doppelherz aus Deutschland. Wie meistert China die Paketlogistik bei den unglaublichen Mengen? Was sind Free-Trade-Zones? Wie kann man deutsche Produkte kostengünstig importieren? Antworten auf diese und mehr Fragen im heutigen Podcast.

International supply chains often rely on Free Trade Zones to ensure products can move freely, fast and be cost-effective. Malaysia has more than 30 of these Free Trade Zones with one of the biggest in the South Malaysian Sea being the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), Johor.  To talk about the role and benefit of these Free Trade Zones, we speak with the CEO of Port Tanjung Pelepas, Mr Marco Neelsen. #seatrade #malaysia #freetradezone #asia #asean #ahk #seaportIf you are interested in a particular question please find here the questions with their time code for you to jump directly.  What is a free trade zone?  01:24 What's the difference between a free trade zone and a free Industrial Zone?  02:43 Where in Malaysia can you find such free trade zones?  04:02Free trade zones are particularly interesting for which type of companies? 05:02Can you elaborate more about the particular advantages of free trade zones in Malaysia? 05:54What about the disadvantages?  09:57 You are the CEO of PTP which developed into one of the busiest seaports worldwide in the last years. PTP has its own free trade zone. How did this come about? 11:33 How are the latest developments in your free trade zone? 15:22Are free trade zones in high demand in Malaysia and is it easy to set up in a free trade zone? 18:19  In close proximity to PTP are the free trade zones of Singapore and Batam, Indonesia. Why should companies set up their operation in a Malaysian free trade zone? 20:09Since the Port of Jurong in Singapore is within eyesight of PTP, how is the relationship between you and your competition in Singapore? 22:52 

Freeport development is an integral part of the UK's post-Brexit trade strategy. Although free-trade zones (FTZs) are frequently hailed as a harbinger of economic development and increased ease of doing business, their financial crime and illicit trade risks are often poorly understood. The CFCS's Emil Dall speaks to colleagues Anton Moiseienko, Isabella Chase and Alexandria Reid about their research project on FTZs, and how governments and the private sector can assess their crime risks.

Guest: Wendy Armbruster - Regional FTZ Program Manager, The AmericasExpeditors | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Sam Sheen and Marie Lundberg are joined by Aamir Hanif, a globe-trotting financial crime compliance expert, to talk about all things related to free ports and free trade zones.  Having been identified as having an elevated risk for financial crime, Aamir explains how Free Trade Zone companies are operated, who controls them, accessing KYC information about their UBOs, while Marie raises a good point: Maybe when it comes to free ports, what do we need to do to "know your container".  With reported risks of FTZ and the link connected to the volume of conterfeit goods traded in a country.  With the UK soon introducing its own free ports post-Brexit, this is a must listen for fellow financial crime compliance professionals.

Partner and Head of Dezan Shira & Associates’ Corporate Accounting Service and Tax Team in North China, Hannah Feng, talks about the advantages of a free-trade zone (FTZ) in China from a tax perspective. 00:00​ Intro 00:52 From a tax perspective, what are the advantages of a free-trade zone (FTZ)? Listen & Subscribe to the Podcast: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDka8-Z2Jr0&list=PLcVM3NJYsLF1Z2LLcVGbBVlwVQOOsuuJh Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-177979339/tracks Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daxue-talks/id1492896072 Website: https://daxueconsulting.com/ What is Daxue Talks? Daxue Talks, a China business vlog powered by daxue consulting, a china-based strategic market research company founded in 2010! With Daxue Talks, you will stay up to date with all the latest business updates in China. Every day, you will learn from china-based experts who share their knowledge about the Chinese market in 2-5 minutes. #DaxueTalks #FreeTradeZones #TaxesChina

Panama City's impressive skyline has a little-known origin: spillover benefits from the country's vibrant free trade zones. Surse Pierpoint, a Panamanian entrepreneur and the former manager of Colón's Free Port, walks us through the transformative potential of trade in Central America and its opportunities for investors. Show notes: https://econamericas.com/2021/05/how-panamas-free-trade-zones-built/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/econ-americas/message

On a blazing steed of heat and light, Death // Sentence arrives once again. This time around, Langdon and Eden navigate the post-modern labyrinth that is the Suez Canal stoppage, unravelling the blood-ritual at its core. Then, they discuss "Extrastatecraft: The Power of Infrastructure Space" by Keller Easterling, a mind-boggling, expansive analysis of how capital uses Free Trade Zones, mobile networks, and standardization to move around the world. FEATURED MUSIC: Cirith Ungol - Brutish Manchild https://bit.ly/2PrkPZ6 Boss Keloid - Gentle Clovis https://bosskeloid.bandcamp.com/album/family-the-smiling-thrush

This episode is part of a special series recorded to celebrate Father’s Day.For the series I interviewed some friends and mentors. I asked them to reflect on the greatest lessons that shaped the men they have become and also to reflect on how these lessons have influenced them as parents.About my Guest:Mohammed N. Mijindadi is the Managing Director of GE Gas Power Systems (GPS) Nigeria & Anglo West Africa, responsible for driving the growth and development of the sub regions power market while working with critical commercial functions to execute transactions and implement power projects.He was inducted into the Nigerian Leadership Initiative (NLI) in October 2011, Institute of Directors in January 2014 and serves on the Board of Directors for GE International Operations Nigeria, Free Trade Zones and the ‘Kid for Kid’ foundation.In his spare time, Mohammed enjoys traveling, watching sports, and spending time with his Wife, Children & Dogs.

In This Episode... What is so useful about free trade zones in China? Why should importers with Chinese suppliers consider utilizing them? Sofeast has recently opened an RMA and fulfillment facility in Shenzhen's Pingshan Free Trade Zone, so, based on our experience there, we're going to explain the benefits.   Hopefully, after listening to this episode, so you will understand if using warehousing, RMA, and fulfillment in the FTZ is better for your business in terms of costs, time, and effort than in China-proper. Show Notes Start to 6:27 Introduction into what Free Trade Zones are. 6:27 to 9:01 - FTZ RMA facility is better than local ones (such as in the USA) due to far lower costs and proximity to your suppliers.  9:01 to 10:42 What does the inspection, sorting, and repair/rework process that the FTZ is perfect for look like? 10:42 to 11:52 Rather than using a local rework company, sending defective pieces back to the FTZ means your supplier can take responsibility and send their own staff to do the repair/rework. How does this work? 11:52 to 12:08 There was a lack of repair services in China, until now..! 12:08 to 15:01 Suppliers deliver finished products/components to the FTZ and they have 'exported' - can apply for VAT rebate and request payment by customer - they like this and it can help you to have a better relationship with the supplier. Our FTZ facility can store your goods (it's cheaper than locally or even other places in China) and fulfill them as per your needs, so you rely less on the supplier to get things right or safely store your products (the supplier's warehouse may be damp, may not be insured against fire, etc). It's suitable for batches of products of a certain size, but not dropshipping piece by piece (we handle this from our Dongguan contract manufacturing facility) 15:01 to 17:00 If importers have the need to bring together orders components/products and ship them out from China in batches, using a FTZ fulfillment center can improve relationships and results from suppliers. 17:00 to 19:49 If you use a 3rd party (such as our company) to act on your behalf from the FTZ to deal with your supplier Chinese-company to Chinese-company - this allows easier payments, invoicing, and builds more trust with the supplier who knows that they can take legal action against us if we, say, do not pay them (much harder for them to do against foreign companies), therefore they are more likely to offer preferential credit terms and other benefits to you. Therefore using a dedicated 3rd party China buying office in conjunction with the FTZ location is helpful. 19:49 to 21:15 An FTZ location allows you to receive components and goods from different suppliers without letting them know important information such as your IP, product type, other suppliers, costs, your retailers, etc. Overall, this helps protect you against suppliers using your designs or undercutting you in your market by selling cheaper. 21:15 to 22:15 If some parts come in from suppliers in a foreign country, let's say somewhere like Vietnam, to be assembled with other from China, is it worth paying fees to import them to China and spending the time to go through Chinese customs? By utilising a Free Trade Zone facility, this cost can be avoided. 22:15 to 23:29 Customs clearance - are there tangible reductions to delivery times due to the FTZ's reduced bureaucracy in regards to customs clearance? 23:29 to 26:24 Do the Chinese FTZs eat into Hong Kong's status as a free port where there are also lower import/export duties and processes? Hong Kong still has benefits, but labor costs there are high. 26:24 to END Summarising the benefits of the FTZ - where is the Pingshan FTZ in Shenzhen located? Take a look at this map for a rough idea (you can see how close it is to Yantian port). Extra information you may find helpful If you do end up with defective products, RMA in the FTZ is a good last resort that gives you options to recover some or all of the order, however, it's always better to work with suppliers who won't cause you problems - we've already created a podcast mini-series on vetting good Chinese suppliers to help you get into that position. Learn about our Free Trade Zone facility and its solutions. Get in touch with us Connect with us on LinkedIn Send us a tweet @sofeast Prefer Facebook? Check us out on FB Contact us via Sofeast's contact page Get even more great content or assistance with your own project Visit our website at Sofeast.com  Subscribe to our YouTube channel      

https://www.hallocasa.com the international real estate marketplace Stories, ebooks and content for various countries on http://blog.hallocasa.com Today we talked to Juan Ignacio Pignataro from San José, Costa Rica. Juan talks about Costa Rica and real estate in general. First, he describes Costa Rica along its location, the high literacy rate of Costa Ricans in general and the highly educated workforce in various sectors. Furthermore, he mentions the GDP split and its export split, its strategic location and how Costa Rica benefits from trade barriers between the USA and China, and why Costa Rica is strategically a great destination to invest and to run a business from.. Finally, he touches upon commercial real estate in Costa Rica and talks about the great potential of "proptech" which are business models based on the combination of properties and technology. We hope you like it!

The Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority said it had entered into partnership with the World Bank and the International Financial Corporation to develop infrastructure in the Free Trade Zones across the country. The move, according to NEPZA will help to attract more foreign direct investments into the Nigerian economy. The NEPZA Acting Managing Director, Mr. Bitrus Dawuk, disclosed this when the World Bank and the International Financial Corporation delegation visited the authority’s Headquarters in Abuja. Dawuk said one of the bottlenecks hindering the optimal performance of Free Trade Zones is NEPZA’s obsolete legislation that is in the process of being amended by the National Assembly. He said once the laws were amended, the Authority would be able of generating billions of dollars’ worth of investments into the country. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Nigerian government has announced plans of a partnership with the World Bank and International Financial Cooperation on staff capacity building and infrastructural development for Free Trade Zones in the country. This was disclosed by the Acting Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority, Bitrus Dawuk. In a statement, the NEPZA boss said the partnership will help attract more Foreign Direct Investments to the Nigerian economy. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Nigerian government has announced plans of a partnership with the World Bank and International Financial Cooperation on staff capacity building and infrastructural development for Free Trade Zones in the country. This was disclosed by the Acting Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority, Bitrus Dawuk. In a statement, the NEPZA boss said the partnership will help attract more Foreign Direct Investments to the Nigerian economy. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://www.hallocasa.com the international real estate marketplace Stories, ebooks and content for various countries on http://blog.hallocasa.com Today we talked to Juan Ignacio Pignataro from San José, Costa Rica. Juan talks about Costa Rica and real estate in general. First, he describes Costa Rica along its location, the high literacy rate of Costa Ricans in general and the highly educated workforce in various sectors. Furthermore, he mentions the GDP split and its export split, its strategic location and how Costa Rica benefits from trade barriers between the USA and China, and why Costa Rica is strategically a great destination to invest and to run a business from.. Finally, he touches upon commercial real estate in Costa Rica and talks about the great potential of "proptech" which are business models based on the combination of properties and technology. We hope you like it!

After diving into some of Rob's background in China and learning about some of the products he's moved into China, he discusses the regulatory environment around health products and how going an ecommerce route can help avoid rigorous registration and regularity requirements. We then ask Rob to talk about overcoming other struggles he's faced outside of the regulatory environment (like fulfilling an order for 10 containers of pig feet for Chinese New Year) and why it's important to be ready to back up your products' claims before being asked to do so.Rob then talks about the buying cycle in China, which he honestly admits is an anomaly could be based on any number of things that are hard to predict. He recommends paying attention to the local holidays in the country and taking clues from social media phenomena. When asked to talk about where brands typically go first, he points to the usual suspects of large metropolitan areas but suggests brands avoid the noise and expense of the typical cities like Shanghai or Guangzhou and look for smaller market entry points where it would be easier to penetrate. Rob then talks about the value of leveraging one of the 18 free trade zones in China to take advantage of lower import taxes to keep costs down, and to research the different zones designed to benefit different industries and products. He also advises not to expect any of the free trade zones to act the same or have the same rules.Rob has tremendous experience working with Chinese distributors and talks about what a brand can expect when dealing with distributors. He points to a tendency of Chinese distributors to try and lock down country-wide exclusivity, and advises that you approach each province as if they were an independent country, and to move through China province by province as most have the population of a European country. 

With China currently celebrating its “golden week” holiday, this week’s podcast features a pair of special interviews that gives a deeper understanding of two key influences on the US-China trade war. Matt Sheehan, author of the acclaimed book The Transpacific Experiment: How China and California Collaborate and Compete for Our Future, talks about how he has witnessed the sea change in relations between American and Chinese people from the tech industry, Hollywood, manufacturing and politics…

Regional economic integration is in focus for this edition of the Business Buzz. Our financial expert Zanele Kunene from BDO SA gives us a round of the week's top business news and in the Buffalo Index, we look at what your R100 can do for you in the African dashiki market. Our main topic is around what it would take to create a pan-African economic block similar to the European Union and have better trade conditions on the continent. Xhanti Payi, an economist and director at Nascence Advisory walks us through progress made on this front and some of the challenges still facing the continent's efforts for regional integration. wits.journalism.co.za

Wits Radio Academy — Regional economic integration is in focus for this edition of the Business Buzz. Our financial expert Zanele Kunene from BDO SA gives us a round of the week’s top business news and in the Buffalo Index, we look at what your R100 can do for you in the African dashiki market. Our main topic is around what it would take to create a pan-African economic block similar to the European Union and have better trade conditions on the continent. Xhanti Payi, an economist and director at Nascence Advisory walks us through progress made on this front and some of the challenges still facing the continent’s efforts for regional integration.

Historically, Free Trade Zones were confined to manufacturing and warehousing, but in recent years they’ve also been housing office operations, liked the shared service centres we were talking about in an earlier episode of Grow through International Expansion. Where they exist, Free Trade Zones bring some obvious advantages to businesses setting up in another country. To start with, the “Free” means free of taxes – essentially they are zones physically within one country that treat every economic activity within them like being in a duty free shop – there’s no tax as long as everything created or manufactured is then sold abroad in another country. Some countries also allow sales within the country, though they are usually restricted in some way, typically by proportion of turnover or for a limited number of years. But there are other advantages to Free Trade Zones too, such as being co-located in the same campus or complex as other similar businesses. That can help a lot with shared resources such as meeting rooms and catering, and helps with recruiting suitable staff too. When our host, Oliver Dowson, was in Uruguay a couple of years ago, he was introduced to the different types of Free Trade Zones in the country, and was really impressed. Uruguay is different to other South American countries in that it’s the only one with Free Trade Zones. It’s a small country that’s used FTZs and leveraged its position and economic strength to become an attractive hub location for doing business all over Latin America. On a recent return visit, Oliver took advantage of being there to revisit four very different Free Trade Zones. For this Grow through International Expansion podcast, he talked to the directors of each of them about the opportunities they offer and the differences between them. The FTZs featured in this podcast are Aguada Park - director Francisco Ravecca – www.aguadapark.com Zonamerica - director Leandro Bonilla – www.zonamerica.com World Trade Centre - director Ignacio Del - http://www.wtc.uy/wtc/ Parque de las Ciencias (Science Park) –General Manager Enrique Pueblo - http://www.zonafrancapdlc.com/

Today's guest is Eugenio Quiros. Mr. Quiroz is the executive director of Association of Free Trade Zones in Costa Rica (AZOFRAS). The post Free Trade Zones in Costa Rica [Podcast] appeared first on The Central American Group.

Labour updates and events from the Asia Pacific region.Interview withAnton Marcus, General Secretary of the Free Trade Zones & General Services Employees Union in Sri Lanka about organising workers in Sri Lanka and the dispute and campaign of the Ansell workers.Asia Pacific Currents is a program of Australia Asia Worker Links.APC is produced in the Melbourne studios of 3CR Radio.

--{ How to Defeat the "Obsolete": "So Many Global Meetings On the Go, Each Topic Represented by an N.G.O., The Foundation Bosses Whom They Serve Wish a Return to Master and Serf, In Order for This to Work, as a Goal, They Debased Society to its Very Soul, "Something Must Be Done--Look at the Mess", Blaming the Victims Who've No Redress, "The Great Transition" They Call this Stage, Planned Chaos 'fore Entering the New Age, Where Obsolete People Will All Fade Away, Fittest to Survive, Darwin has His Way" © Alan Watt }-- Permanent State of Terrorism - Supranational Clubs and their Meetings, Public Not Invited - New Feudal System is Here - Total War - Society under Scientific Socialism - Communism - Chemical Industry and Intensive Farming, GMO Crops - System of "Interdependence" - Tulsa being Sued for Cutting Down Woman's Edible Garden - GM Corn Killing Animals - Agenda of Cultural Destruction and Regional Unification - Right to Family Life Allows Murderers to Stay in UK - Rio+20 Goals - Trans-Atlantic Partnership Agreement and Free Trade Zones, Redistribution of Wealth - EU, Centralization of Government - Google, World Intelligence Agency - Use of Global Threats to Make "New Deals" - Daily Chemtrails Sprayed - CO2 in the Atmosphere - the SUN Heats the Planet. (See http://www.cuttingthroughthematrix.com for article links.) *Title/Poem and Dialogue Copyrighted Alan Watt - June 18, 2012 (Exempting Music, Literary Quotes, and Callers' Comments)