Asia Logistics Wrap, A View From The East.

Part of the fun of blogging is meeting others with ideas that cause one to stop and ponder their thoughts. One of those people is Shawn Beilfuss, host of Asia Logistics wrap. Shawn writes from Tokyo as he travels throughout Asia setting up global supply chain systems.

Shawn has recently written several informative posts covering a broad range of subjects related to the global supply chain. His latest is how The Financial Markets and Supply Chain Impacts both goods-oriented and services-oriented supply chains.

He writes in part:

Focusing on the 'financial architecture' of supply chains, basically the biggest worry is operational financing and the degree to which firms have to raise cash via bank loans or through issuing investment vehicles such as corporate shares or corporate bonds.

Moving on to address free trade. Shawn uses a play on words to hammer home his message.

Flipping Asia the Byrd on Fair Trade.

He begins:

The Wall Street Journal published an editorial September 11 regarding legislation strongly supported by primarily two US congressmen to undercut fair trade with Japan, Korea, and China, amongst other countries. This is a follow-up to a more lengthy article on August 11 and inspired a response from the two congressmen, Democratic Senator Byrd of West Virginia and Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, in a letter-to-the-editor. Unfortunately, support for the Byrd Amendment--otherwise known as the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act--is bipartisan.

Finally as a piece de resistance Shawn examines US Presidential Candidates on Foreign Affairs/Trade with Northeast Asia.

In a detailed post Shawn outlines the positions of each candidate, with supporting links to their stated postitions. He begins:

In terms of foreign affairs and foreign trade, there is never a dull moment in Northeast Asia. This region demands a considerable amount of attention from the US President and his (Senator McCain or Senator Obama) administration across a wide range of topics and issues....

Although the Vice Presidential candidates have attracted much attention, I want to explore first the history of decisions and/or opinions of Senator McCain and Senator Obama in regards to Northeast Asia. The VP picks traditionally follow the President's lead in shaping policy. I will attempt to let the candidates' words and decisions speak for themselves and refrain from conjecture. In the process, I expect to find more material for Senator McCain due to his depth of experience compared with Senator Obama. Where I could not find any significant material, I will state so as 'Not Available'.

This post is one of the most detailed comparisons of what we can expect from the two men running for President of the United States, in regard to their views on Asia. Shawn concludes his post by adding his comments:

In reality, the President, once elected, will be flanked with advisors and policy experts to help solidify the approach towards Northeast Asia. So basically two key questions are required:

1. What philosophy, vision and judgement will the candidates bring to the Presidency?

2. What advisors and experts does the candidate surround themselves with?

As seen with President Bush and 9/11, foreign policy assumptions and strategy can be dramatically turned on its head by events that occur during office. This is where philosophy, vision and judgement come into play--the foundation of a candidate's character and what will drive them in a crisis situation.

Most Americans are aware of Northeast Asia to the degree it impacts or influences their lives. In the bigger picture, the overall region will probably register low on the totem pole of Americans' top priorities, but perhaps it is on the radar if you are one of the following people:
Someone whose company or small business exports to Northeast Asia or imports from Northeast Asia

+ Someone who works for a Japanese or Korean auto manufacturer or parts supplier.

+ Someone with a relative that works or lives in Northeast Asia.

+ Someone who is/was based with the US military in Northeast Asia, or knows someone with such experience.

+ Someone in financial services, supply chain consulting or international law familiar with the complexity of a globalized and integrated economy between the US and Northeast Asia.

+ Someone who lost their job due to a production facility and/or services moved to the Asia region

+ etc, etc, etc...

How the election plays out over the next month and a half will be quite interesting and I look forward to following any new developments in the candidates' positions on Northeast Asia.

Take the time to get to know Shawn and explore his world via his excellent blog.