USTDA Regional Brief - East Asia

USTDA Regional Brief - Eurasia

USTDA advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, feasibility studies, training, reverse trade missions and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment.

Azerbaijan

State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) Waste Management Facility – USTDA is funding a $572,068 feasibility study for a proposed Waste Management Facility project in Azerbaijan to improve waste management practices in the oil and natural gas sector. Contractor selection is ongoing.

China

USTDA's program in China focuses on trade capacity building initiatives and projects in the environment (air and water pollution), clean energy, and aviation safety/security sectors. These projects aim to provide significant opportunities and benefits to both China and the United States, and build upon existing agreements and cooperative initiatives. USTDA projects in China include the following:

Trade Policy Initiatives

Anti-Monopoly Law (AML) Cooperation – A $500,000 grant to the American Chamber of Commerce in China is funding technical assistance to China’s Ministry of Commerce, National Development and Reform Commission, and State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the three agencies which will enforce the AML. This program is providing legal and regulatory guidance so that the AML can be implemented in a transparent, market-friendly and non-discriminatory manner. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is conducting this program, with support from the U.S. Departments of Justice and Commerce, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Agricultural Biotechnology Training – In coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USTDA is funding a training program for officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. The program is supported through a public-private partnership that includes U.S. firms, industry associations and the U.S. Government. USTDA has provided approximately $1.5 million for this multi-phase training program, which has included both general training on the nature, use and regulation of modern agricultural biotechnology, as well as workshops on specific regulatory and monitoring mechanisms. Phase III will build on past activities by focusing on pressing issues that are restraints on agricultural commodity trade. A contractor for Phase III has not yet been selected.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Training – USTDA provided $383,000 for training for officials from China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) to assist the GAC in its efforts to limit the export of counterfeit goods. The training involved U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the private sector. The Global Alliance for Trade Efficiency conducted this program.

Standards and Conformity Assessment Cooperation – A $500,000 USTDA grant launched the U.S.-China Standards and Conformity Assessment Cooperation Program, an innovative public-private sector initiative designed to expand cooperative technical efforts in standards, conformity assessment and technical regulations. The program consists of a series of seminars, workshops and training modules that will enable U.S. industry and government representatives to engage their Chinese counterparts on specific industry sectors and trade-related standards. The contractor for the program is the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. USTDA funding is being matched by industry contributions.

Transportation

Cold Chain Best Practices Outreach Program – USTDA is providing $235,960 to support technical assistance to China Merchants International Cold Chain Company Limited (CMIC) in its plan to develop cold chain infrastructure in Shenzhen, which will increase the availability and affordability of meat and produce to consumers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Foreign Commercial Service offices in Chengdu collaborated with USTDA on the initial stages of this project. The Peoples Group is the main contractor.

U.S.-China Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP) – China’s rapidly growing aviation industry has challenged efforts to maintain effective safety and security operations. Recognizing a need, USTDA helped to structure the ACP with the goal of facilitating U.S. government and aviation industry training and technical cooperation in priority areas identified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). USTDA has contributed over $5.5 million to the ACP over five phases. This funding has been supported by additional contributions from the ACP’s 36 U.S. private sector member companies, as well as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the CAAC.

Search and Rescue Operations – In support of the Ministry of Transportation’s (MOT) plan to further develop its inland search and rescue (SAR) capacity, USTDA provided $230,000 to fund a training program for 20 SAR pilots from MOT’s Bureau of Rescue and Salvage. The training will be conducted by SRT Helicopters (Bakersfield, California).

Guangzhou Metro Line 4 – USTDA provided a $500,420 grant for a study on technical standards and system requirements for Line 4 of the Guangzhou metro system. This high-speed light rail project, the first in China, will expand the municipality's existing metro system in an environmentally friendly manner.

Railway Intermodal Container Transport – USTDA provided a $679,550 grant to review China's approach to the intermodal container business, recommend options to improve the service, and develop a plan to increase intermodal rail transport business. TERA International Group conducted this assistance.

Environment

U.S.-China Water Quality Cooperation Program – USTDA is providing $450,000 for a training/cooperation program for Chinese government officials and industry representatives in the area of water quality improvement. The program, developed in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. industry, involves technical workshops on priority areas of interest for China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) and other organizations, covering water quality improvement, from pollution monitoring and control to policy mechanisms and best practices.

Shanxi Continuous Emissions Monitoring – USTDA provided $186,400 to assist the Shanxi Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB) in developing specifications for the installation, performance, data management and quality assurance/quality control of continuous emissions monitoring systems. Thermo Electron Corp. conducted this assistance.

Shandong Flue Gas Denitrification (deNOx) – A $600,000 USTDA grant is funding a technical assessment and financial analysis for the Shandong EPB on plans to install technologies to limit emissions of nitrogen oxide from coal-fired power plants in Shandong Province.

Shandong Water Quality Improvement Project – A $343,480 grant is providing the Shandong EPB with a water quality improvement and watershed pollution assessment project in northeastern China. The U.S. contractor for the study is BioChem Technology, Inc.

Energy

Coal Mine/Coal Bed Methane Power Plant – USTDA provided a $502,850 grant to Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Coal Mining Group (JMG) for preliminary project design, technical specifications and procurement assistance related to the implementation of this innovative power plant project. The project resulted in a $56 million contract between JMG and Caterpillar, Inc.

Shenyang Polygeneration – USTDA provided $523,869 to support a study for the Hunnan International Technopolis Shenyang on an integrated coal gasification, power generation and district-heating project, using advanced coal utilization and processing technology. Nexant, Inc. was selected to perform the study.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

Rural ICT Network Pilot – USTDA provided a $593,398 grant to the Academy of Broadcasting Science, a technical institute under the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television to examine technology options for its “Direct to Home Rural Coverage” project, an initiative to expand broadband access to rural areas.

Earthquake Aftershock Prediction and Landslide Monitoring – A $198,330 grant is assisting the China Earthquake Administration and the China Geological Survey in utilizing advanced monitoring systems and related software to better predict seismic events.

Georgia

Coal Bed Methane / Coal Mine Methane – USTDA is providing $540,000 to partially fund a feasibility study on recovering methane from coal seams, active coal mines, and abandoned coal mines in the Tkibuli-Shaori Coal Basin. An additional $284,342 was recently awarded for an extension study to include the Vale coal basin. Advanced Resources International of Fairfax, VA, is conducting the study.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan Underground Gas Storage – USTDA provided $640,000 to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to partially fund a feasibility study on the reconstruction of two underground gas storage facilities. BSI Industries of Columbus, OH, conducted the study.

Kyrgyzstan

Datka-Kemin Transmission Line – USTDA is providing $537,595 for a feasibility study on the proposed Datka-Kemin Transmission Line project in Kyrgyzstan. Auriga Corporation of Milpitas, CA, is conducting the study.

Mongolia

USTDA hopes to increase its engagement with Mongolia by promoting economic reform and integration into the regional economy. Recent USTDA projects in Mongolia have involved the aviation sector, focusing on systems upgrades and training to improve safety. Below are brief descriptions of the most recent projects.

Cement Plant Development – A $250,000 grant is helping Yalguun International LLC, a private-sector Mongolian company, to develop a dry-process cement plant with an annual capacity of 1 million metric tons Mongolian market. FLSmidth Inc. is the contractor conducting this assistance.

Airline Expansion Plan Technical Assistance – USTDA has awarded grants, totaling $771,600 to assist Eznis Airways, a private airline, in devising a strategic expansion plan for its commercial aviation business. IOS Partners is conducting this assistance.

Standards Development Capacity Building – In 2007, USTDA funded an reverse trade mission to the United States for senior Mongolian representatives to discuss the technical and policy aspects of standards, certification and conformity assessment procedures. The visit familiarized the delegates with the U.S. market-driven strategy for the development, issuance and implementation of standards, and the role of the U.S. government and non-governmental standards associations in this process. The itinerary included Washington, DC; the Philadelphia, PA area; Peoria and Chicago, IL; and Milwaukee, WI.

Dundgovi Branch Rail Line – A $391,550 grant is supporting a feasibility study on a proposed 86-kilometer branch railroad line that would connect a privately operated coal mine in south central Mongolia with the main North-South rail line,. TERA International Group is conducting this assistance.

Tajikistan

Fon Yaghnob Coal-Fired Power Plant – USTDA is providing $875,378 for a feasibility study on the coal mining component of a proposed integrated coal mining and power generation project at Fon Yaghnob, Tajikistan. Metallurgical Resources International of Rochester, NY, will conduct the study.

Turkmenistan

Oil and Gas Training – USTDA provided $785,445 to familiarize Turkmen oil and gas sector officials with U.S. and international standards and best practices in legal and regulatory affairs, as well as production sharing agreements. Koeppen, Elliott & Associates, LTD of Washington, DC, organized the training program.

Ukraine

Donetsk International Airport Expansion – USTDA provided $520,209 to fund a feasibility study on the proposed expansion and improvement of the Donetsk airport in Ukraine. Contractor selection is ongoing.