About the founder

Mr. de Leon is the Founder and President of Trade Connections International, a Washington, DC based international trade and business development consultancy which assists US companies work abroad, and foreign companies work in the US.


Trade Connections International elaborates business, marketing, project management and public relations strategies, seeks financing for projects, and gathers critical information for its clients.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

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Recent and upcoming events

Week of June 20, 2011 (Chicago, IL)

Trade Connections International's President Philip H. de Leon will be attending the 47th Annual Meeting of the Drug Information Association


Week of March 28, 2011 (Phoenix, AZ)

Trade Connections International's President Philip H. de Leon participated in the 20th Partnerships in Clinical Trials as Vice President of Business Development for a client with EDC/CTMS solutions.


Week of February 14, 2011
(Budapest, Hungary)

Trade Connections International accompanied a client to a conference in Budapest, Hungary.


Week of December 13, 2010 (Washington, DC)

Trade Connections International's President gave a presentation at the Kennan Institute in Washington, DC on the Emerging Trends in Russian-American Trade Relations.


Weeks of November 29 and December 6, 2010
(Dushanbe, Tajikistan)

Trade Connections
International's President visited Tajikistan with a business partner in a fact finding mission to prepare a comprehensive report on this lesser known country of Central Asia. The visit included a meeting with H.E. President Emomali Rahmon (see site of the President of Tajikistan) as well as with many government officials and representatives of the private sector, foreign diplomatic representations, and international financial institutions. The report will be available in February/March 2011.

Week of August 30, 2010 (Washington, DC)

Trade Connections
International assists its client, a Russian software development company with strong expertise in the Health Care/Life Sciences sector, to sign a contract with the British office of a U.S. company.

Week of July 19, 2010
(Farnborough, UK)

Trade Connections
International organized a meeting with a Fortune 100 companies for one of its Eastern European clients at the Farnborough Air Show.

Week of June 7 , 2010
(Washington, DC and Philadelphia, PA)

Trade Connections
International represented a client at the Drug Information Association 46th Annual Meeting and made a presentation at Temple University on how the private sector is involved in US trade policy shaping/making.

Week of April 19, 2010
(Washington, DC)

Trade Connections International was represented at the Jordan - US Investment and Trade Forum and held several meetings. re. projects in the Middle East.

Week of March 8, 2010
(Washington, DC)

Trade Connections International was represented at the U.S. Export-Import Bank Annual Meeting that took place on March 11-12, 2010 with President Barack Obama as one of the main speakers.

Week of February 8, 2010
(Moscow, Russian Federation)

Trade Connections International attended the 3rd Annual Russia & Eurasia Trade and Investment Forum in Moscow, Russian Federation, February 8-9. Meetings with existing and potential clients were conducted during the week.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Country Report on Tajikistan

In April 2011, a 20-page report on Tajikistan was published by the Washington Diplomat. The report, written by Trade Connections International LLC's President Philip H. de Leon, aims to raise the visibility of Tajikistan in the United States and abroad. The report contains interviews with the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamrokhon Zarifi, the ambassadors of Tajikistan - the United States - and France, as well as articles on history, hydropower, banking, investment, transportation, tourism, development and internet resources.

This country report was written for and published by The Washington Diplomat. Click here to go to The Washington Diplomat website and here to go to the Tajikistan Report.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

A Trade Expert's Wish List for Good Commercial Diplomacy

This article focuses on how embassies in Washington, DC spare no efforts to promote their country but oftentimes will fail to capitalize on the interest they generated and to provide practical information once importers, exporters, business development managers or investors are hooked. This article goes over some of the issues and offers practical and easily actionable solutions.

This article was written for and published by the Diplomatic Courier. Click HERE to go to the Diplomatic Courier website.

US Protests Lack French Fire

RTAmerica - October 21, 2010 - France is paralyzed by protests around the country due to a proposal to raise the national retirement age. The country is coming to a complete stand still because of rioting citizens, could this ever happen in the United States?

Monday, June 7, 2010

Rusnano: is the nanotechnology boost generating results?

This article elaborates on the achievements of Rusnano (Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies) which was created in 2007 by President Vladimir Putin to give Russia a leading position in the world market of nanotechnology products.

This article was published by MarchmontNews.com. Click HERE to read this article.

Tajikistan Energy Opportunities - An Interview with Tajikistan’s Ambassador to the United States

On 26 May, Tajikistan's Ambassador to the United States Abdujabbor Shirinov spoke openly about the energy and water shortages impacting the region, joint collaboration between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, the construction of a large hydro-power key to Tajikistan's energy security, and oil and gas exploration where preliminary assessments tend to show an untapped potential that could lead to the country's energy independence.

This article was written for and published by OilPrice.com. Click HERE to read this article.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Revolution in Central Asia: Who's Next?

Answering that question can be seen as a wild guess. However, understanding the reality of each of the five Central Asian countries can help the reader assess the present day situation and reach his own conclusion.

This article was written for and published by OilPrice.com. Click HERE to read this article.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

NORD: Pipedream No More

RTAmerica - April 9, 2010 - The much talked about NORD stream pipeline started production today, a move that is seen by many as a Bush failed policy. The Bush administration was opposed to the pipeline from the beginning and even members of congress lobbied against this. However, under Barack Obamas administration there seems to be a more relaxed approach to this topic.


Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Salesmen in Chief: Obama & Sarkozy

RTAmerica - March 30, 2010 - Two very different visions on how to regulate markets and prevent the next world economic crisis will clash when President Obama hosts French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the White House on Tuesday. Mr. Sarkozy arrived in Washington amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Europe over trade protectionism and financial regulatory reform in the wake of the deepest global economic downturn since the Great Depression.


Monday, March 29, 2010

The Hydropower Solution in Central Asia: Yes But...

This article is a case study on how a Central Asian country (Tajikistan) is trying to surf the the wave of the hype for renewable energy such as hydropower and to get involved in the efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. In the process, Tajikistan is bringing back to the table the Rogun hydropower dam project as it is a central element for its energy independence and a source of severely needed foreign currencies that could be earned through the export of electricity. However, a lot of challenges exist.

This article was written for and published by OilPrice.com. Click HERE to read this article.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Libya: The Energy Player Not To Be Dismissed

This article highlights the formidable energy potential of Libya and the dilemma Western countries face when trying to secure new energy supplies while interacting with an unpredictable leader.

This article was written for and published by OilPrice.com. Click HERE to read this article.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Has China begun economic warfare?

RT - February 16, 2010 - New evidence show that Japan has replaced China as the top holder of American debt. Chinas military has called for the government to punish the US because of a potential meeting with the Dalai Lama. China's holding of US Treasury bonds has tumbled, according to US Treasury data released Tuesday, after Beijing expressed concern over the swelling US deficit and amid new US-China tensions.


Monday, February 1, 2010

China threatening sanctions on US for supplying arms to Taiwan

RT - February 1, 2010 - President Obama approved a $6 billion arms sale to China, for the first time in the history of Chinese - US relations. The Communist State is threatening to impose sanctions against US companies that supply Taiwan with arms. Dina Gusovsky discuss the new arms deal with Philip de Leon, who says this is a part of a cycle; from calm to tense relations between the two nations.


US companies face challenges in China

RT - January 29, 2010 - US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke told a meeting of the US China Business Council in Washington that "Recent events, specifically the well-publicized Google incident, have reminded us of the continued challenges faced by foreign and US companies operating in China". But the Chinese Government made it clear that it's not going to make any exceptions for foreign investors who operate in the country. So can we face a trade war between the two countries?


Sunday, January 31, 2010

Gazprom: Angel or Demon?

This article takes a deeper look at the Russian gaz giant Gazprom and focuses on how it fits in the global energy game that is being played by all nations.

This article was written for and published by OilPrice.com. Click HERE to read this article.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

China's Rebound may cause Inflation

RT - February 19, 2010 - China's economy is soaring! In the final quarter of last year, it ranked as the world's second-biggest economy. However, critics fear inflation is right around the corner for China. RTs Kristine Frazao talked with President of Trade Connections International, Philip de Leon.


Friday, January 1, 2010

Land-locked Central Asian Oil Country Plays Important Role from Vancouver to Vladivostok

This article focuses on the fact that Kazakhstan will hold the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for in 2010. With 56 participating States from Europe, Central Asia and North America, the OSCE is the largest regional security organization in the world.

This article was written for and published by OilPrice.com. Click HERE to read this article.


Thursday, December 31, 2009

The Two Paths to Doing Business in Central Asia: Which Way to Go?

 
Anyone interested in doing business in Central Asia will be confronted with two parallel worlds: the world of "this is how business is done here" and the world of "best business practices."This article elaborates on the challenges of doing business in Central Asia and on the importance of staying true to key principles such as transparency and accountability.   

This article was written for and published by The Caspian Business Journal (www.caspibiz.com). Click HERE to read this article.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

China Secures Gas Supply From Turkmenistan: Who's the True Winner?

This article focuses on the launch of a new gas pipeline linking Turkmenistan to China via Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Several countries benefit from this pipeline while another one loses some of its monopoly over Central Asia's energy export routes. These events are leading to a shift of power worth paying attention to.

This article was syndicated and can be found online at several news sites. Click HERE to see a listing of article sources.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Climate Change: Clean Coal, Nuclear Energy or Simply Energy Savings?

This article goes over the strong push made in favor of Clean Goal, even  though the technology is far from fully operational. Attention is given to nuclear energy, which may be the best solution to promptly respond to raising electricity needs without generating CO2 emissions.
 
This article was written for and published by OilPrice.com. Click HERE to read this article.