Vietnamese Silicon Valley Network

Recently Mr. Garcia participated as a member of a US delegation to the India Business Summit led by Under Secretary for International Trade, Franklin Lavin on November 29-30 2006. Leaders of US business, industry, education and state and local government participated in this summit which allowed them access to India?s high-level business, industry and government representatives and opportunities to gain timely insights into the country’s trade and investment climate. He also traveled to China and Vietnam to talk to business and industry executives and high level government officials. Mr. Garcia will be presenting this trip report to explore business opportunities in these countries. This is a rare opportunity to gain the first hand information on these three hot growing markets in Asia.

China
* As a result of the evolution of electronics and China’s sustained economic growth, China is now the second largest market for consumer electronics, second to the United States.
* With the emergence of a large, affluent population in China, the country is seeking to obtain skills and technology in areas other than IT, software development, and manufacturing. For example, technology is being sought for the industrialization of agriculture.
* Affluency in China now includes the cities beyond the first tier of coastal cities that are well known to many US businesses.
* Opportunities for doing business in China are abundant and increasing, including services in the areas of business tourism, training, education, marketing and international PR.

India
The US-India relationship is undergoing great changes. The two countries, politically and economically distant for much of the late twentieth century, now find their national interests converging in many respects.
* With over one billion people, the Indian market presents lucrative and diverse opportunities for US exporters with the right products, services, and commitment.
* In calendar year 2005, US-India trade reached an all-time high of over
$26Billion, with US exports to India reaching $8Billion, up 30 percent over 2004 and nearly double US exports in 2002.
* India’s annual GDP, currently over 8 percent, makes it one of the fastest growing large economies in the world.

Vietnam
* Vietnam has recently become a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO); and the United States Congress recently approved legislation that
normalizes trade relations with Vietnam through Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR).

* PNTR provides Vietnam the same customs and tariff treatment that the US provides to other PNTR countries.
* These developments are taking place as Vietnam demonstrates a strong commitment to continuing economic reforms, and as Vietnam opens a new market for US goods and service bringing great opportunities for all types of American companies.

Date: January 24, 2007 (Wednesday)
Time: 7:00 - 9:00 pm (Registration starts at 6:30 pm)
Venue: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
2475 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, CA 94304

Light refreshment will be provided.

Language: English

Seminar Agenda:
6:30 ? 7:00 pm: Registration and Networking
7:00 ? 8:15 pm: Presentation
7:00 ? 8:15 pm: Q&A
9:00 pm: Adjourn

Fee:
Regular member: Free
Associate member: $20 RSVP, $25 at the door
Non-member: $20 RSVP, $25 at the door

RSVP : rsvp@svcwireless.org with the following subject line
1/24: Your Name

Contact and more information:
Jenny Oshima, Jenny.oshima@svcwireless.org +1 408 313-4126

Speaker
Ernest Garcia, CEO of Direction 21 will speak about his recent business trip in November through December to India, Vietnam, and China. Mr. Garcia is
a SVCWireless member of many years, and he has been providing US-Asia business consulting since 1998. He will be speaking about opportunities in a variety of market sectors through his experience as a consultant. In India he was a member of a trade delegation headed by the Under-Secretary of Commerce for International Trade. In Vietnam he met with industrial park executives. In China he initiated two consulting projects, in Nanjing and in Shenyang. Additionally, he visited Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management (SEM), primarily as a result of his participation as an invited business professional in UC Berkeley’s “IT in China” graduate course this past year.

For information about Direction 21, visit http://www.direction21.com