International
NAME: Anthony Lo
AGE: 60
COMPANY: Giant Manufacturing
TITLE: General Manager
For Westerners, Tony Lo is the most visible official of the world’s biggest bicycle company. His long partnership with Giant founder King Liu has been one of the most successful in the industry.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN)—“If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire . . . the A-Team.” So went the introduction to the cult 1980s TV show about a group of over-the-top commandos who wisecracked their way through seemingly impossible missions.
TORONTO, Ontario (BRAIN)—Ontario's latest provincial budget features a two-year extension of the tax holiday on bikes, introduced last December.
BRUSSELS, Belgium (BRAIN)–The European Union’s trade commissioner Peter Mandelson has retreated from his initiative to radically reduce the European Union’s use of trade defense instruments—including such things as its current anti-dumping duties on Chinese- and Vietnamese-made bicycles.
TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN)—Ying-Ming Yang, the chairman of Kenda Rubber, has been elected to a second three-year term as chairman of the Taiwan Bicycle Exporters Association.
OTTAWA, Quebec (BRAIN)—The Canadian government has extended its anti-dumping duties on low- and entry-level bicycles from China and Taiwan for another five years, but will drop the extra duties on frames priced at less than $50, FOB China and Taiwan.
EASTWOOD, England (BRAIN)—The European Two-Wheel Retailers’ Association is shooting back at Raleigh U.K.’s managing director, Mark Gouldthorp, for his sardonic comments about U.K. bike retailers published last week in The Guardian newspaper.
AGRA, India (BRAIN)—The bicycle industry of India, which posted double-digit growth rates for the past few years, recently hit hard times as bicycle exports dropped to almost half the number of bikes exported last year, according to a report in Business Standard.
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (BRAIN)—An appeals court in Rotterdam substantially reduced, but did not eliminate, administrative fines the Dutch anti-trust authority had earlier imposed against Gazelle, Giant and Accell Group for allegedly colluding on prices for the 2001 season.
BEIJING, China (BRAIN)--No one quite knows what the final impact will be, but the price of 2008 model bicycles sold in the U.S. market will be going up thanks to the Chinese government.
OTTAWA, Quebec (BRAIN)—Canada’s Border Services Agency has determined that Chinese and Taiwanese bicycle manufacturers are likely to resume or continue dumping bicycles into the country at below-market value if current anti-dumping duties are allowed to expire at the end of this year.
TAITRA, Taipei (BRAIN)—Not only will Taipei Cycle 2008 take the industry to new and fresh untouched ground, it will also take place in a newly opened purpose-designed exhibition hall—only one factor that reflects the dynamics and transition sweeping the industry.
HEERENVEEN, Netherlands (BRAIN)—Good weather and an improved product mix came together through the first half of the year to boost Accell Group’s first-half 2007 profits by more than 50 percent compared with the first six months of last year, the company announced in a mid-year filing.
KOLN, Germany (BRAIN)—Koelnmesse and its Chinese business partners have signed an intellectual property memorandum to send out a clear signal for fair competition at trade fairs and to combat the violation of intellectual property rights for exhibited products.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (BRAIN)—China’s Ministry of Commerce has expressed “serious concern” at Argentina’s recent restrictions on Chinese goods, including bicycles, shoes and apparel, textiles, leather, tires and wheels, toys and computers, according to The People’s Daily, China’s official voice.
MADISON, WI (BRAIN)—Some members of the European Parliament will be cycling around during European Mobility Week in mid-September on Schwinn electric bikes.
BY JO BECKENDORFF
DUBAI, UAE (BRAIN)—We had just told our Pakistani driver to take us to Wolfi’s Bike Shop. “Bikes—you mean motorbikes?” he asked. “No, bicycles,” we said. “Ah, motorcycles.” “No, not motorcycles, push bicycles.”
NEWMARKET, Ontario (BRAIN)—Legislators from Ontario’s Liberal party want to exempt bicycles and bicycle helmets from the provincial sales tax. The proposal is expected to be included in their election platform.
MONTREAL, Canada (BRAIN)–Canadian bicycle importers opposing re-imposition of anti-dumping duties on Chinese and Taiwanese bikes imported into Canada is holding an informational meeting at Expocycle Sunday night to educate retailers on the proposal’s status and implications.
MONTREAL, Quebec (BRAIN)—If there was one message the 12-member Canadian Association of Specialty Bicycle Importers (CASBI) made clear at Expocycle, it’s that retailers and suppliers must rally against renewal of anti-dumping duties on bikes.