[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 115 (Thursday, June 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39224-39227]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12833]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Announcement of Approved International Trade Administration Trade 
Mission

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY: The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade 
Administration (ITA), is announcing one upcoming trade mission that 
will be recruited, organized, and implemented by ITA. This mission is: 
Executive-Led Cybersecurity Business Development Mission to Taiwan, 
South Korea, and Japan--September 18-26, 2023. A summary of the mission 
is found below. Application information and more detailed mission 
information, including the commercial setting and sector information, 
can be found at the trade mission website: https://www.trade.gov/trade-missions. For this mission, recruitment will be conducted in an open 
and public manner, including publication in the Federal Register, 
posting on the Commerce Department trade mission calendar (https://www.trade.gov/trade-missions-schedule) and other internet websites, 
press releases to general and trade media, direct mail, broadcast fax, 
notices by industry trade associations and other multiplier groups, and 
publicity at industry meetings, symposia, conferences, and trade shows.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Odum, Events Management Task 
Force, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 
1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone (202) 482-
6397 or email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

The Following Conditions for Participation Will Be Used for the Mission

    Applicants must submit a completed and signed mission application 
and

[[Page 39225]]

supplemental application materials, including adequate information on 
their products and/or services, primary market objectives, and goals 
for participation that is adequate to allow the Department of Commerce 
to evaluate their application. If the Department of Commerce receives 
an incomplete application, the Department of Commerce may either: 
reject the application, request additional information/clarification, 
or take the lack of information into account when evaluating the 
application. If the requisite minimum number of participants is not 
selected for a particular mission by the recruitment deadline, the 
mission may be cancelled.
    Each applicant must also certify that the products and services it 
seeks to export through the mission are either produced in the United 
States, or, if not, are marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have 
at least fifty-one percent U.S. content by value. In the case of a 
trade association or organization, the applicant must certify that, for 
each firm or service provider to be represented by the association/
organization, the products and/or services the represented firm or 
service provider seeks to export are either produced in the United 
States or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have at 
least 51% U.S. content by value.
    A trade association/organization applicant must certify to the 
above for every company it seeks to represent on the mission. In 
addition, each applicant must:
     Certify that the products and services that it wishes to 
market through the mission would be in compliance with U.S. export 
controls and regulations;
     Certify that it has identified any matter pending before 
any bureau or office in the Department of Commerce;
     Certify that it has identified any pending litigation 
(including any administrative proceedings) to which it is a party that 
involves the Department of Commerce; and
     Sign and submit an agreement that it and its affiliates 
(1) have not and will not engage in the bribery of foreign officials in 
connection with a company's/participant's involvement in this mission, 
and (2) maintain and enforce a policy that prohibits the bribery of 
foreign officials.
    In the case of a trade association/organization, the applicant must 
certify that each firm or service provider to be represented by the 
association/organization can make the above certifications.

The Following Selection Criteria Will Be Used for the Mission

    Targeted mission participants are U.S. firms, services providers 
and trade associations/organizations providing or promoting U.S. 
products and services that have an interest in entering or expanding 
their business in the mission's destination markets. The following 
criteria will be evaluated in selecting participants:
     Suitability of the applicant's (or in the case of a trade 
association/organization, represented firm's or service provider's) 
products or services to these markets;
     The applicant's (or in the case of a trade association/
organization, represented firm's or service provider's) potential for 
business in the markets, including likelihood of exports resulting from 
the mission; and
     Consistency of the applicant's (or in the case of a trade 
association/organization, represented firm's or service provider's) 
goals and objectives with the stated scope of the mission.
    Balance of company size and location may also be considered during 
the review process.
    Referrals from a political party or partisan political group or any 
information, including on the application, containing references to 
political contributions or other partisan political activities will be 
excluded from the application and will not be considered during the 
selection process. The applicant will be notified of these exclusions. 
The Department of Commerce will evaluate applications and inform 
applicants of selection decisions on a rolling basis until the maximum 
number of participants has been selected.

Trade Mission Participation Fees

    If and when an applicant is selected to participate on a particular 
mission, a payment to the Department of Commerce in the amount of the 
designated participation fee below is required. Upon notification of 
acceptance to participate, those selected have 5 business days to 
submit payment or the acceptance may be revoked.
    Participants selected for a trade mission will be expected to pay 
for the cost of personal expenses, including, but not limited to, 
international travel, lodging, meals, transportation, communication, 
and incidentals, unless otherwise noted. Participants will, however, be 
able to take advantage of U.S. Government rates for hotel rooms. In the 
event that a mission is cancelled, no personal expenses paid in 
anticipation of a mission will be reimbursed. However, participation 
fees for a cancelled mission will be reimbursed to the extent they have 
not already been expended in anticipation of the mission.
    Trade mission members participate in trade missions and undertake 
mission-related travel at their own risk. The nature of the security 
situation in a given foreign market at a given time cannot be 
guaranteed. The U.S. Government does not make any representations or 
guarantees as to the safety or security of participants. The U.S. 
Department of State issues U.S. Government international travel alerts 
and warnings for U.S. citizens available at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/. Any question 
regarding insurance coverage must be resolved by the participant and 
its insurer of choice.
    Travel and in-person activities are contingent upon the safety and 
health conditions in the United States and the mission countries. 
Should safety or health conditions not be appropriate for travel and/or 
in-person activities, the Department will consider postponing the event 
or offering a virtual program in lieu of an in-person agenda. In the 
event of a postponement, the Department will notify the public and 
applicants previously selected to participate in this mission will need 
to confirm their availability but need not reapply. Should the decision 
be made to organize a virtual program, the Department will adjust fees, 
accordingly, prepare an agenda for virtual activities, and notify the 
previously selected applicants with the option to opt-in to the new 
virtual program.

Definition of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise

    For purposes of assessing participation fees, an applicant is a 
small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) if it qualifies as a ``small 
business'' under the Small Business Administration's (SBA) size 
standards (https://www.sba.gov/document/support--table-size-standards), 
which vary by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 
Code. The SBA Size Standards Tool (https://www.sba.gov/size-standards) 
can help you determine the qualifications that apply to your company.
    Mission List: (additional information about trade missions can be 
found at https://www.trade.gov/trade-missions).

[[Page 39226]]

Executive-Led Cybersecurity Business Development Mission to Taiwan, 
South Korea, and Japan--September 18-26, 2023

Summary

    The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade 
Administration (ITA), is organizing an Executive-led Cybersecurity 
Business Development Mission to Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan, 
September 18-26, 2023.
    The purpose of the mission is to introduce U.S. firms to East 
Asia's information and communication technology (ICT) security and 
critical infrastructure protection markets, and to assist them in 
finding business partners and export their products and services to the 
region. This trade mission will also promote the tenets and adoption of 
the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 
Cybersecurity Framework globally. The trade mission is intended to 
include representatives from U.S. companies and U.S. trade associations 
with members that provide cybersecurity and critical infrastructure 
protection products and services. The trade mission will visit Taiwan, 
South Korea, and Japan, where U.S. firms will have access to business 
development opportunities across East Asia. Participating firms will 
gain market insights, make industry contacts, solidify business 
strategies, and advance specific projects, with the goal of increasing 
U.S. exports of products and services to East Asia. The mission will 
include customized one-on-one business appointments with pre-screened 
potential buyers, agents, distributors, and joint venture partners; 
meetings with officials from government and authorities, as well as 
industry leaders; and networking events.
    Cybersecurity threats exploit the increased complexity and 
connectivity of critical infrastructure systems, placing a company or 
economy's security, economy, and public safety and health at risk. 
Similar to financial and reputational risks, cybersecurity risk affects 
a company's bottom line. It can drive up costs and affect revenue. It 
can harm an organization's ability to innovate and to gain and maintain 
customers. With the ascending growth and sophistication of cyberattacks 
in recent years, strict compliance and unified security packages are in 
demand to protect the critical data, infrastructure, and safety of 
governments, authorities, military, public utilities, banking, 
financial services, ports, hospitals, and other businesses. The 
damaging effects of cyber threats and incidents can be felt on many 
levels from the business to the individual and can spill over across 
borders. Therefore, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan are currently 
increasing resources at the public sector level, as well as at the 
private sector level, in order to deal with these complex cyber 
threats. These resources have been well utilized as is evident from the 
innovations and demand for cyber defense equipment and service 
technologies. Events in the region have also heightened the importance 
of improving cybersecurity protection. In 2022, malicious cyber 
activities disrupted Japanese government websites across various 
ministries, while Taiwan and South Korea continue their defense against 
cyberattacks.
    The cybersecurity companies of the United States are among the most 
cutting-edge cybersecurity providers in the world. Whether it is 
cybersecurity products, such as network-monitoring systems or 
firewalls, or cybersecurity services, such as security testing and 
audits or cyber risk consulting, the technology providers of the United 
States are among the world's leaders in enterprise and consumer 
cybersecurity solutions. This is why U.S. cybersecurity products and 
services are continually in high demand overseas and why the U.S. 
Department of Commerce is focused on promoting U.S. cybersecurity 
exports around the world. The Asia-Pacific market is one of the most 
lucrative for U.S. cybersecurity companies.
    In 2014, recognizing that national and economic security depends on 
the reliable functioning of critical infrastructure, NIST released the 
Cybersecurity Framework, consisting of voluntary guidelines for 
organizations to manage cybersecurity risk. NIST subsequently released 
an updated version in 2018 and is currently undertaking a second 
update. The Cybersecurity Framework, created through collaboration 
between industry and government, is widely adopted by organizations in 
the United States, as well as internationally, and is available in 
several languages including Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Hebrew, 
Japanese, Arabic, and Bulgarian.
    This trade mission will seek to also support the tenets and 
adoption of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework globally. While the NIST 
Cybersecurity Framework was created in the United States, it provides 
an important risk-based approach that has been adopted by industries 
across the globe and has influenced the way other governments have 
formulated their own approaches to cybersecurity risk management. 
Private sector stakeholders have made it clear that the global 
alignment of cybersecurity practices and standards is important to 
avoid confusion and duplication of effort. Countries and economies in 
Asia are currently considering approaches aligned with the NIST 
Cybersecurity Framework. The potential adoption of the NIST 
Cybersecurity Framework by organizations in healthcare, finance, and 
other critical infrastructure sectors across Asia can facilitate 
alignment, adoption, and internationalization of a common risk-based 
approach to managing cybersecurity risk, which provides market access 
opportunities in the region to U.S. firms with cybersecurity expertise 
and solutions.

Proposed Timetable

    * Note: The final schedule and potential site visits will depend 
on the availability of host government, authorities and business 
officials; specific goals of mission participants; and ground 
transportation.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, September 17, 2023........  Trade Mission Participants Arrive in
                                     Taipei.
Monday, September 18, 2023........  Welcome and Taiwan Briefing; One-on-
                                     One business matchmaking
                                     appointments; Networking Reception
                                     at residence of the Deputy Director
                                     of the American Institute in Taiwan
                                     (To Be Confirmed).
Tuesday, September 19, 2023.......  One-on-One business matchmaking
                                     appointments; Networking Lunch (No-
                                     Host); One-on-One business
                                     matchmaking appointments.
Wednesday, September 20, 2023.....  Trade Mission Participants Travel/
                                     Arrive to Seoul.
Thursday, September 21, 2023......  Welcome and South Korea Briefing;
                                     One-on-One business matchmaking
                                     appointments; Networking Reception
                                     at Deputy Chief of Mission
                                     residence (To Be Confirmed).
Friday, September 22, 2023........  One-on-One business matchmaking
                                     appointments; Networking Lunch (No-
                                     Host); One-on-One business
                                     matchmaking appointments.
Saturday, September 23, 2023......  Trade Mission Participants Stay in
                                     Seoul or Travel to Tokyo.
Sunday, September 24, 2023........  Trade Mission Participants Arrive in
                                     Tokyo; Welcome cocktail hour with
                                     mission delegates and U.S. Embassy
                                     officials.

[[Page 39227]]

 
Monday, September 25, 2023........  Welcome and Japan Briefing; One-on-
                                     One business matchmaking
                                     appointments; Networking Reception
                                     at U.S. Embassy.
Tuesday, September 26, 2023.......  Cybersecurity-related engagements
                                     and site visits in Tokyo
                                     Metropolitan Area.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Participation Requirements

    All parties interested in participating in the trade mission must 
submit an application package for consideration by the Department of 
Commerce. All applicants will be evaluated on their ability to meet 
certain conditions and best satisfy the selection criteria as outlined 
above. A minimum of fifteen and maximum of twenty companies and/or 
trade associations will be selected to participate in the mission on a 
rolling basis.

Fees and Expenses

    After a firm or trade association has been selected to participate 
on the mission, a payment to the Department of Commerce in the form of 
a participation fee is required. The fees are as follow:
    The participation fee will be $5,900 for a small or medium-sized 
enterprises (SME) and $7,500 for large firms. There will be a $1,000 
fee for each additional firm representative (large firm or SME).
    If an applicant is selected to participate on a particular mission, 
a payment to the Department of Commerce in the amount of the designated 
participation fee is required. Upon notification of acceptance to 
participate, those selected have 5 business days to submit payment or 
the acceptance may be revoked.
    Participants selected for a trade mission will be expected to pay 
for the cost of personal expenses, including, but not limited to, 
international travel, lodging, meals, transportation, communication, 
and incidentals, unless otherwise noted. Participants will, however, be 
able to take advantage of U.S. Government rates for hotel rooms. In the 
event that a mission is cancelled, no personal expenses paid in 
anticipation of a mission will be reimbursed. However, participation 
fees for a cancelled mission will be reimbursed to the extent they have 
not already been expended in anticipation of the mission.
    If a visa is required to travel on a particular mission, applying 
for and obtaining such a visa will be the responsibility of the mission 
participant. Government fees and processing expenses to obtain such a 
visa are not included in the participation fee. However, the Department 
of Commerce will provide instructions to each participant on the 
procedures required to obtain business visas.
    Trade mission members participate in trade missions and undertake 
mission-related travel at their own risk. The nature of the security 
situation in a given foreign market at a given time cannot be 
guaranteed. The U.S. Government does not make any representations or 
guarantees as to the safety or security of participants. The U.S. 
Department of State issues U.S. Government international travel alerts 
and warnings for U.S. citizens available at https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings.html. Any question regarding 
insurance coverage must be resolved by the participant and its insurer 
of choice.

Timeframe for Recruitment and Applications

    Mission recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner, 
including publication in the Federal Register, posting on the 
Department of Commerce trade mission calendar (http://export.gov/trademissions) and other internet websites, press releases to general 
and trade media, direct mail, notices by industry trade associations 
and other multiplier groups, and publicity at industry meetings, 
symposia, conferences, and trade shows. Recruitment for the mission 
will begin immediately and conclude no later than June 23, 2023. The 
Department of Commerce will evaluate applications and inform applicants 
of selection decisions on a rolling basis until the maximum number of 
participants has been selected. Applications received after June 23, 
2023, will be considered only if space and scheduling constraints 
permit.

Contacts

U.S. Contact Information

Pompeya Lambrecht, Recruitment Lead, Global Cybersecurity Lead for 
Trade Promotion, U.S. Commercial Service Northern VA, 
[email protected], Tel: 703-8385-3753
Gemal Brangman, Project Manager, Director, Trade Events Management Task 
Force, Washington, DC, [email protected], Tel: 202-482-3773

Asia Contact Information

U.S. Embassy--Tokyo, Ross R. Belliveau, Commercial Attache, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, [email protected]
U.S. Embassy--Seoul, Michael Kim, Commercial Attache, U.S. Department 
of Commerce, [email protected]
American Institute in Taiwan, Clint Brewer, Commercial Attache, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, [email protected]

Gemal Brangman,
Director, ITA Events Management Task Force.
[FR Doc. 2023-12833 Filed 6-14-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P