National Export Strategy 2002 - International Trade Administration ...

The 2002 National Export Strategy
innovation and positive socio-economic ripple effects that SMEs can offer. A
Presidential Commission on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, under the
direct authority of President Kim Dae-jung, works to integrate policy and
coordinates various ministries’ budget plans related to SMEs. Interestingly,
Korea’s major trade promotion agencies have adopted a number of products
and even the nomenclature of Commerce Department services for SMEs,
including business matchmaking that replicates the Department’s Gold Key,
International Company Profile, Customized Market Analysis, and
International Partner Search services. Korea has also emulated the TPCC’s
network of domestic one-stop-shop Export Assistance Centers (EACs) with 15
export-related agencies represented at 11 EACs. In the area of trade finance,
Korea gives special consideration to the needs of SMEs. In 2000, 28 percent
($2 billion) of the Korean Export-Import Bank’s total lending volume and 42
percent ($13.5 billion) of the Korean Export Insurance Corporation’s business
went to SMEs.
■ France: The French government has undertaken a major outreach effort
aimed at the promotion of exports from SMEs. In 1999, an SME task force
was created to enhance and modernize programs to assist SMEs in becoming
global. The task force launched a number of initiatives in order to increase the
number of SMEs that export, expand the sales of experienced exporters, and
help start-ups globalize their businesses. Initiatives include appointment of a
mediator for SME exporters to field complaints about French government
assistance and establishment of an export assistance call center for SMEs. The
French export credit agency, Coface Group, offers several insurance programs,
including trade fair insurance, designed to assist companies seeking new
markets. Ninety percent of the firms benefitting from these programs had
turnover of less than $14 million.
■ Canada: Canada promotes SME exports in much the same way as the United
States, although on a much bigger scale. For a population and economy onetenth
the size of the United States, Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service is
close in size and budget to that the Commerce Department’s CS. Team
Canada, a partnership among 23 federal and provincial agencies and
departments, offers a number of market-entry services packages for companies
new to exporting. Its ExportUSA program, for example, assists over 2,000
SMEs each year. Canada’s export credit agency, EDC, served 5,182 customers
in 1999, of which 88 percent were SMEs.
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