Journeying to China from your backyard

Last week’s Obama administration move to levy tariffs on imported Chinese tires boosted auto-tire stocks Monday and may touch off an escalation of duties on other goods exchanged between the two countries, as this New York Times article explains. Chicken meat appears foremost in the crosshairs of Chinese regulators, with who-knows-what to follow.

The macro view in this piece is fascinating and well worth a read. It’s also possible to spend a lifetime becoming an expert on U.S.-China trade, which may be hard for you to squeeze in and still keep your day job.

Still, there are ways to combine the two, and chances are a little due diligence will turn up China stories in your backyard. The tendency is to focus on competition, which has resulted in legions of manufacturing jobs moving from the United States to Asian nations.

But just to be contrarian, why not look for examples of cooperation?

Recently, for example, I spoke with the head of a well-known regional furniture retailer. He mentioned casually that his firm maintains a full-time buying office in Asia. That’s really noteworthy for a privately owned chain that’s only one generation removed from the owner manning the till. Not only is it an interesting financial story, but a natural for a multimedia feature on the work-life issues for transplanted Midwestern furniture buyers.

Not sure where to start? The China Business Review offers a free online subscription to journalists. A publication of the nonprofit U.S.-China Business Council, it’s packed with news, trend stories, commentary, directories and more. Just clicking on the council's board of directors page alone is likely to lead you to business executives with China ties in your region -- or someone who can point you there.

The U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration's site is a massive portal to all sorts of data and publications. Statistics about international trading partners, while not the freshest, are broken down by industry, sector, metropolitan area and even include some small-business data.

Its Export.gov China page is also worth perusing for background data and to jump-start story ideas. Your local university no doubt houses international trade, Asian studies and other expertise. And many state governors have taken or contemplated overseas trade missions; contact their staffs for information about companies in your state that have Asian partnerships.

Trade with and investment in and by Asia is huge news these days. It’s a mind-bogglingly complex topic, but as Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu is quoted as saying, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Challenge yourself to find and execute a local angle on China, and soon.

Come back to "Your Daily Tipsheet" each morning for advice on where to find sources, background and creative ways to make financial news and trends relevant to your audience.