Show T v vIe lc off f u t Trade warriors in a new world wort By Arch Booth executive I vice president of 01 the Chamber of 01 Commerce of 01 the United Sates Sake t c The vast rim of the Pacific is la isa la la a study In contrasts a place of political and economic nIc ferment Grouped around It are tire the sophisticated economies of 01 states like Japan Canada Australia and the VS US And there are the comers places such as Taiwan Hong Kong and South Korea which have industrialized rapidly in recent years and are approaching economic maturity FINALLY THERE are the relatively underdeveloped nations ranging from giant China to the states of 01 Indochina peninsula and Malaysia The waters of 01 the Pacific touch the Soviet Union too It is a scene of intense rivalry for lor trade and investment primarily between Japanese and American companies And Anda a place of intense ideological rivalry as we know all an too well wen MOST OF the big developing nations welcome the capital and technical expertise offered bythe by bythe bythe the big multinational companies But at the same time they fear economic domination For their part the multinationals welcome the opportunity to develop new markets and new resources j 1 while fearing learing the possible loss lOBS b bof of their investments through political Apolitical political instability I M Most t of 01 the businessmen who t operate in hi the area are j justly Uy proud of 01 their record of 01 r I providing jobs and raising local j n living s standards And they are i also sensitive to the aspirations and feelings of 01 their host countries Private Trade Talks This concern is I. evident in meet meetings s such as the one which brings bings me to Saigon A semiannual semiannual semi semi- annual meeting of 01 the Asian Asian- Pacific Council of American Chambers of 01 Commerce These are organizations I of ef American businessmen who are based in a foreign loreign country A SAMPLE of 01 the topics of the agenda will give you a good idea of 01 what whet concerns concerns con con- cerns corns such businessmen today Contributions s of multinational companies toH to H Host t Nations Multi Country Joint Investment The Danger to America and the American Businessman's Image from Involvement in Morally Corrupt Convert Activities Regional Transportation Problems An Code of 01 Conduct Freedom of 01 the Press in Asia Asta Foreign Exchange Restrictions in Japan Developing Relations with the Pe Peoples People's ples Republic of China Chitin Economic Commitment The United States in Asia That's about quarter one r of 01 the agenda As you can n see today's businessman is b a aware ware of and and co concerned ie l about bout a wide variety of 01 socio-economic socio issues MAKE NO mistake Competition in world trade is tough Its It's a fallacy that big companies can easily exploit underdeveloped countries If II they fall to consider the welfare of d. their host country they may lose their market to the competition either another American company or a foreign loreign competition-and competition in the to extreme cases they risk the loss lOBS of all iU of cl their assets in the h host t country We Must Trade Yet this trade and development activity is becoming as vital to us as it is to the underdeveloped nations There are many raw materials that we need but bit do not have or have enough of 01 domestically Oil is perhaps the known best example If II we areto are areto areto to buy these things overseas we must earn the money to pay for lor them by selling our products there SO AMERICA is becoming increasingly dependent on a anew anew anew new breed of 01 businessman Which is is' is what brings me to the meet meeting in Saigon Im I'm here to learn what the US U.S. Chamber of Commerce can do to help our trade warriors around the pacific rim I HAVE already held talks with businessmen and representatives of 01 the government in Japan Korea Taiwan and the Philippines Before Belore I return I will also have visited Thailand Hong Kong Australia and New Zealand The trip would be bea a a tourists tourist's dream if II it did not have to befitted be befitted befitted fitted Into one month As it is I Ii expect to return wearier but wiser |