Heaven is high, and the Emperor is far away This is my favourite Chinese saying. It’s particularly useful when trying to placate a frustrated Ai Group member who can’t understand why the import documents she submitted successfully to Customs in…
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Reflections on the 19th round of RCEP negotiations Even the most casual observer of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will recognise that there are member economies at very different stages of economic development. This is part of the challenge in…
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What happened to the dollar in July? The Australian dollar (AUD) has risen sharply against the US dollar (USD) during July 2017 (see chart 1). Indeed, the AUD is now nudging up to 80 US cents, for the first time…
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The US Government has introduced rules that will change the way all Australian Exporters send airfreight to the US. The rules will come into force on July 1 and will not be delayed and cannot be avoided. Currently, most of…
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Digital technology has revolutionised modern trade and the products and services that we are able to sell to the world. Blockchain Technology, Industrial Internet of Things (IOT) and electronic communication are all essential elements of a globally competitive industry. A…
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International competitiveness is hard to quantify. It means more than simply being cheapest or even having the best product. It requires companies to be customer focused, innovative, and agile. It means that companies should have access to infrastructure and information…
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Are you interested in checking out business opportunities in Iran? How could the Former Norwegian Prime Minister help you? In the aftermath of the Trump Administration’s travel ban, there were many individual stories of heartbreak and missed opportunities. One that…
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After ten years of negotiations, Australia signed a high-profile free trade agreement (FTA) last year with China. Coming into force on 20 December 2015, the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) promised to unlock significant opportunities for Australia in China, which is our…
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Late last week, in an historic referendum, the UK voted in favour of leaving the European Union (Brexit), with the majority of voters (52%) opting to leave the trading bloc. The move by the UK introduces more volatility into the global…
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Indonesia is the world’s third largest democracy, ASEAN’s largest economy and yet, only Australia’s 12th largest trading partner. To further develop our relationship, Australia and Indonesia are entering Phase-II of negotiations of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), called the Indonesia…
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