1. Home
  2. |Experience
  3. |C&M International

C&M International

Overview

C&M International is the global government relations, public policy, and public affairs affiliate of Crowell & Moring LLP, that helps clients shape the policy, regulatory, and commercial landscape in markets across the Asia, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

For more than three decades, C&M International has advised the world’s leading companies and associations on how to engage global policymakers and create impactful partnerships to promote public health, trade and investment, and digital transformation in our interconnected global economy.

The C&M International team includes public policy experts, former trade negotiators, and bio-medical scientists who have served at the White House, within ministries in the Asia-Pacific, in senior roles on Capitol Hill, in key U.S. government agencies and in business. We leverage our expertise, our experience, and our networks to help our clients resolve global business challenges, clear political hurdles, and shape policies and regulations in the commercial markets and international venues that matter to their bottom line.

Core Services

  • We have access to key policymakers and regulators in the U.S. administration and Congress, government ministries worldwide, and regional and international organizations. From Brussels to Beijing, São Paulo to Seoul, APEC to ASEAN, the World Trade Organization to the World Health Organization, the World Bank to the International Monetary Fund, we know the players well and are well positioned to advance your issue in any country or in any forum.

    How we help

    • Stakeholder mapping. Want to know the who makes decisions and influences the shaping of a policy or regulation? We will identify them, analyze where they stand on your issue, and advise on how they should be approached.
    • Engagement strategies. Want to influence the policies or regulations within a key growth market or at the international level? We develop step-by-step strategies for achieving outcomes nearly anywhere. We will make sure you get to the right people, at the right moment, with the right message.
    • Advocacy support. We will obtain a meeting with key decision-makers and ensure that you are prepared to successfully deliver critical messages.
    • Coalition building and management. From non-governmental organizations (NGO) to think tanks to local stakeholders, we will identify and vet the right partners.
    • Private-public partnerships. We will conceive and launch programs with governmental entities that impact your sector.
    • Monitoring. We will provide comprehensive surveillance of policy or regulatory developments in key markets and, if necessary, help to access decision makers to ensure that any changes are fully informed by your perspectives. Or, we will help you anticipate and prepare for the impact of elections in a particular country.

    Where we engage

    • In country. In the markets that matter to you. From China's national health policy to Brazil's intellectual property regime.
    • Government-to-government. We work formal and informal channels. Plus, we know how to leverage free trade agreements, bilateral investment treaties, and other vehicles to advance your issue.
    • Regional level. Often, the best forum to advance an issue is at the regional level because issues are presented in a less threatening way. C&M International is the preeminent consultancy in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC), which includes 21 countries that, together, account for more than half of the world's GDP.
    • Global level. We know the World Trade Organization (WTO) inside and out. We have helped advise on issues in the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). We also have excellent relationships at the World Bank and the IMF and have counseled clients on the negotiations of international treaties that impact their business.

    Case Studies

    • Stakeholder mapping. For a company combating rampant counterfeiting in China, we identified the policy levers available to address the issue.
    • Engagement strategies. For a client whose product is heavily counterfeited and smuggled, we organized a global advocacy campaign in 180 markets around the world to influence the development of international policy aimed at significantly reducing international counterfeiting and smuggling.
    • Advocacy support. For a U.S. industry facing trade retaliation in Brazil, we organized a campaign to counter that threat.
    • Coalition building and management. For a large U.S. industry group, we conceived and helped implement a public-private sector dialogue in APEC to reduce overly restrictive regulations that would otherwise significantly raise its business costs.
    • Private-public partnerships. For the life sciences industry, we helped to establish and launched what is now the premier policy forum for advancing medical innovation in the Asia-Pacific region, bringing together academia, business, and government.
    • Monitoring. For a global consumer goods company, we provided comprehensive surveillance of regulatory developments in key Asian markets, identifying regulatory changes related to product safety, labeling, and marketing. In addition, we ensured that any regulatory changes were fully informed by our client's perspectives.

    We have access to key policymakers and regulators in the U.S. administration and Congress, government ministries worldwide, and regional and international organizations. From Brussels to Beijing, São Paulo to Seoul, APEC to ASEAN, the World Trade Organization to the World Health Organization, the World Bank to the International Monetary Fund, we know the players well and are well positioned to advance your issue in any country or in any forum.

    How we help

    • Stakeholder mapping. Want to know the who makes decisions and influences the shaping of a policy or regulation? We will identify them, analyze where they stand on your issue, and advise on how they should be approached.
    • Engagement strategies. Want to influence the policies or regulations within a key growth market or at the international level? We develop step-by-step strategies for achieving outcomes nearly anywhere. We will make sure you get to the right people, at the right moment, with the right message.
    • Advocacy support. We will obtain a meeting with key decision-makers and ensure that you are prepared to successfully deliver critical messages.
    • Coalition building and management. From non-governmental organizations (NGO) to think tanks to local stakeholders, we will identify and vet the right partners.
    • Private-public partnerships. We will conceive and launch programs with governmental entities that impact your sector.
    • Monitoring. We will provide comprehensive surveillance of policy or regulatory developments in key markets and, if necessary, help to access decision makers to ensure that any changes are fully informed by your perspectives. Or, we will help you anticipate and prepare for the impact of elections in a particular country.

    Where we engage

    • In country. In the markets that matter to you. From China's national health policy to Brazil's intellectual property regime.
    • Government-to-government. We work formal and informal channels. Plus, we know how to leverage free trade agreements, bilateral investment treaties, and other vehicles to advance your issue.
    • Regional level. Often, the best forum to advance an issue is at the regional level because issues are presented in a less threatening way. C&M International is the preeminent consultancy in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC), which includes 21 countries that, together, account for more than half of the world's GDP.
    • Global level. We know the World Trade Organization (WTO) inside and out. We have helped advise on issues in the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). We also have excellent relationships at the World Bank and the IMF and have counseled clients on the negotiations of international treaties that impact their business.

    Case Studies

    • Stakeholder mapping. For a company combating rampant counterfeiting in China, we identified the policy levers available to address the issue.
    • Engagement strategies. For a client whose product is heavily counterfeited and smuggled, we organized a global advocacy campaign in 180 markets around the world to influence the development of international policy aimed at significantly reducing international counterfeiting and smuggling.
    • Advocacy support. For a U.S. industry facing trade retaliation in Brazil, we organized a campaign to counter that threat.
    • Coalition building and management. For a large U.S. industry group, we conceived and helped implement a public-private sector dialogue in APEC to reduce overly restrictive regulations that would otherwise significantly raise its business costs.
    • Private-public partnerships. For the life sciences industry, we helped to establish and launched what is now the premier policy forum for advancing medical innovation in the Asia-Pacific region, bringing together academia, business, and government.
    • Monitoring. For a global consumer goods company, we provided comprehensive surveillance of regulatory developments in key Asian markets, identifying regulatory changes related to product safety, labeling, and marketing. In addition, we ensured that any regulatory changes were fully informed by our client's perspectives.
  • In the course of doing international business, surprises occur. We put our network, experience, and knowledge to work when a political solution is needed to change a costly regulation, reverse an unfair commercial decision, or when a political solution is needed to get your product to market.

    Case Studies

    • When a client's trade secrets were misappropriated in a foreign market, we energized our contacts in the foreign and U.S. governments and used the opportunity of ongoing bilateral negotiations to successfully address the issue
    • When our client's product was misclassified by customs officials in a foreign market, we called on our connections at the top levels of the foreign and U.S. governments and used existing international trade rules to have the decision reversed, saving our client over $1 million in wrongly levied duties
    • When our client was about to lose access to its biggest export market because of proposed regulatory changes, we helped the two governments reach an agreement to keep the importing market open to our client's exports

    In the course of doing international business, surprises occur. We put our network, experience, and knowledge to work when a political solution is needed to change a costly regulation, reverse an unfair commercial decision, or when a political solution is needed to get your product to market.

    Case Studies

    • When a client's trade secrets were misappropriated in a foreign market, we energized our contacts in the foreign and U.S. governments and used the opportunity of ongoing bilateral negotiations to successfully address the issue
    • When our client's product was misclassified by customs officials in a foreign market, we called on our connections at the top levels of the foreign and U.S. governments and used existing international trade rules to have the decision reversed, saving our client over $1 million in wrongly levied duties
    • When our client was about to lose access to its biggest export market because of proposed regulatory changes, we helped the two governments reach an agreement to keep the importing market open to our client's exports
  • The world of trade offers often-overlooked opportunities for companies to cut their doing-business costs, at home and abroad, if they are engaged and assertive.

    Fully taking advantage of existing trade agreements?

    Hundreds of free trade agreements covering different sectors have been negotiated between countries all around the world. C&M International identifies the tariff structure for your product categories to ensure that your company is paying the lowest possible customs duties.

    Seeking to reduce future duties?

    Multiple free trade agreements are being negotiated right now. Has your company asked for its product categories to be covered or to have its tariffs cut on an accelerated schedule? We assist companies in engaging in negotiations to ensure product coverage.

    Interested in refunds from the U.S. government?

    Some trade agreements and trade preference programs are well known (e.g., NAFTA), while some are obscure. These agreements often provide for lower — or zero — tariffs. We assist companies that import from countries with trade agreements with the United States to identify cost savings in the form of refunds from U.S. Customs. This cost savings opportunity can be used with very minimal effort on the part of the client. We have identified and delivered millions in savings for companies through this exercise.

    Want to understand the impact of free trade agreements and trends on future sourcing decisions?

    We assist companies in analyzing how free trade agreements, with their lower tariffs and streamlined customs procedures, might influence where a company decides to source.

    Case Studies

    • For a large manufacturer, we helped optimize the client's manufacturing capacity in Asia in terms of both cost and delivery times by analyzing how the company could leverage provisions of free trade agreements negotiated by China, Japan, Korea, Thailand and Malaysia
    • We saved a major multinational over $25 million in duty payments by helping them strategically engage negotiators in a multilateral trade round, ensuring that tariff reductions on their products remained a priority
    • In helping a client to re-evaluate their U.S. and Brazilian supply chains, we identified over $14 million in potential savings by conducting in-depth analyses of opportunities available to them through free trade agreements

    The world of trade offers often-overlooked opportunities for companies to cut their doing-business costs, at home and abroad, if they are engaged and assertive.

    Fully taking advantage of existing trade agreements?

    Hundreds of free trade agreements covering different sectors have been negotiated between countries all around the world. C&M International identifies the tariff structure for your product categories to ensure that your company is paying the lowest possible customs duties.

    Seeking to reduce future duties?

    Multiple free trade agreements are being negotiated right now. Has your company asked for its product categories to be covered or to have its tariffs cut on an accelerated schedule? We assist companies in engaging in negotiations to ensure product coverage.

    Interested in refunds from the U.S. government?

    Some trade agreements and trade preference programs are well known (e.g., NAFTA), while some are obscure. These agreements often provide for lower — or zero — tariffs. We assist companies that import from countries with trade agreements with the United States to identify cost savings in the form of refunds from U.S. Customs. This cost savings opportunity can be used with very minimal effort on the part of the client. We have identified and delivered millions in savings for companies through this exercise.

    Want to understand the impact of free trade agreements and trends on future sourcing decisions?

    We assist companies in analyzing how free trade agreements, with their lower tariffs and streamlined customs procedures, might influence where a company decides to source.

    Case Studies

    • For a large manufacturer, we helped optimize the client's manufacturing capacity in Asia in terms of both cost and delivery times by analyzing how the company could leverage provisions of free trade agreements negotiated by China, Japan, Korea, Thailand and Malaysia
    • We saved a major multinational over $25 million in duty payments by helping them strategically engage negotiators in a multilateral trade round, ensuring that tariff reductions on their products remained a priority
    • In helping a client to re-evaluate their U.S. and Brazilian supply chains, we identified over $14 million in potential savings by conducting in-depth analyses of opportunities available to them through free trade agreements
  • Often governments and civil society (industry, academia, or NGOs) desire solutions to the same problems – be they about ensuring food safety, improving the environment, upskilling workers, or improving health outcomes. C&M International prides itself on its ability to bring solutions partners together wherever they reside to tackle shared problems and find shared solutions.

    Case Studies

    • Developed initiative to bring together academic, business and government leaders from across the Asia-Pacific to identify in-demand skills to support worker training and meet employer needs.    
    • Secured recognition by Ministers and Heads of State for an initiative to address a shared environmental concern in key Southeast Asian markets with leading industry, NGOs and government stakeholders.

    Often governments and civil society (industry, academia, or NGOs) desire solutions to the same problems – be they about ensuring food safety, improving the environment, upskilling workers, or improving health outcomes. C&M International prides itself on its ability to bring solutions partners together wherever they reside to tackle shared problems and find shared solutions.

    Case Studies

    • Developed initiative to bring together academic, business and government leaders from across the Asia-Pacific to identify in-demand skills to support worker training and meet employer needs.    
    • Secured recognition by Ministers and Heads of State for an initiative to address a shared environmental concern in key Southeast Asian markets with leading industry, NGOs and government stakeholders.
  • The world of international business is full of opportunity, but can be a complicated, and even dangerous, place. The promise of a new market can be accompanied with risks and instabilities, which business needs to avoid. In addition, companies face a dizzying array of regulatory requirements, trade laws, global guidelines, and varying local business practices, which need to be understood in order to succeed.  Success in a new market, especially emerging markets, is not just about doing due diligence or lining up financing. Success often depends on investing in the right relationships and building a network of support, and entering a market with a predicable regulatory environment.

    Thinking of expanding into a new market but want to understand the risks?

    We will research the political, economic, and regulatory risk factors and present you with an objective, independent, and comprehensive analysis. We will dig beyond the surface to probe the reality of "Country X" as a place to conduct your business.  Leveraging our deep knowledge of global trade agreements, we can also conduct comprehensive analyses to determine the most promising avenues for sourcing products into new markets and/or exporting from new markets.

    Need to understand the regulatory requirements associated with exporting to a new market?

    We know well the regulatory structures companies must contend with as they enter new markets. We will help you comply with the rules, and we will work with you step by step through the process to minimize surprises. 

    Unsure of what political or regulatory barriers might impede your ability to effectively compete in a new market, and how they might be mitigated?

    We will identify potential barriers — from discriminatory rules to equity caps — that may keep you from effectively doing business in a new market. In addition, we can devise strategies to persuade governments to change those rules and make them work for you.

    If you are an overseas corporation looking to sell products or services in the U.S. market, we will explain the trade and other regulations that may apply.

    Want to ensure a smooth market entry by investing in strong relationships?

    We have found that companies and industries that make "policy investments" in advance of entering a market receive substantial dividends in the form of closer and more responsive relationships with the host government, and more industry-friendly policies and regulations. We conceive and launch private-public partnerships with government ministries to position companies as allies, thought leaders and solutions providers, and we activate our networks to make sure they have support from the highest levels.

    Need to obtain a license to operate?

    We will craft a customized engagement strategy to position your company to obtain licenses to operate ahead of competitors.

    Case Studies

    • For one of the largest managed health care companies in the United States, we advised on the key considerations related to entering foreign markets. This included a review of: the structure of the health care system; the state of domestic competition; relevant laws and regulations; market access considerations; and political/economic risk factors. Management used our analysis to designate priority markets for its globalization strategy.
    • For a major auto manufacturer seeking to enter the U.S. market, C&M International analyzed the domestic political environment affecting the automotive sector and assessed the political risks associated with the company's U.S. strategy.
    • For several major financial services companies, we helped to secure licenses to operate in key Asian markets, such as China and Vietnam.
    • For one of the world's leading technology companies, we helped shift the policy environment to better position the company in key Asian markets.
    • For a major consumer goods company, we helped support its entry into the Vietnam market by creating a public-private partnership program with Vietnamese regulators.

    The world of international business is full of opportunity, but can be a complicated, and even dangerous, place. The promise of a new market can be accompanied with risks and instabilities, which business needs to avoid. In addition, companies face a dizzying array of regulatory requirements, trade laws, global guidelines, and varying local business practices, which need to be understood in order to succeed.  Success in a new market, especially emerging markets, is not just about doing due diligence or lining up financing. Success often depends on investing in the right relationships and building a network of support, and entering a market with a predicable regulatory environment.

    Thinking of expanding into a new market but want to understand the risks?

    We will research the political, economic, and regulatory risk factors and present you with an objective, independent, and comprehensive analysis. We will dig beyond the surface to probe the reality of "Country X" as a place to conduct your business.  Leveraging our deep knowledge of global trade agreements, we can also conduct comprehensive analyses to determine the most promising avenues for sourcing products into new markets and/or exporting from new markets.

    Need to understand the regulatory requirements associated with exporting to a new market?

    We know well the regulatory structures companies must contend with as they enter new markets. We will help you comply with the rules, and we will work with you step by step through the process to minimize surprises. 

    Unsure of what political or regulatory barriers might impede your ability to effectively compete in a new market, and how they might be mitigated?

    We will identify potential barriers — from discriminatory rules to equity caps — that may keep you from effectively doing business in a new market. In addition, we can devise strategies to persuade governments to change those rules and make them work for you.

    If you are an overseas corporation looking to sell products or services in the U.S. market, we will explain the trade and other regulations that may apply.

    Want to ensure a smooth market entry by investing in strong relationships?

    We have found that companies and industries that make "policy investments" in advance of entering a market receive substantial dividends in the form of closer and more responsive relationships with the host government, and more industry-friendly policies and regulations. We conceive and launch private-public partnerships with government ministries to position companies as allies, thought leaders and solutions providers, and we activate our networks to make sure they have support from the highest levels.

    Need to obtain a license to operate?

    We will craft a customized engagement strategy to position your company to obtain licenses to operate ahead of competitors.

    Case Studies

    • For one of the largest managed health care companies in the United States, we advised on the key considerations related to entering foreign markets. This included a review of: the structure of the health care system; the state of domestic competition; relevant laws and regulations; market access considerations; and political/economic risk factors. Management used our analysis to designate priority markets for its globalization strategy.
    • For a major auto manufacturer seeking to enter the U.S. market, C&M International analyzed the domestic political environment affecting the automotive sector and assessed the political risks associated with the company's U.S. strategy.
    • For several major financial services companies, we helped to secure licenses to operate in key Asian markets, such as China and Vietnam.
    • For one of the world's leading technology companies, we helped shift the policy environment to better position the company in key Asian markets.
    • For a major consumer goods company, we helped support its entry into the Vietnam market by creating a public-private partnership program with Vietnamese regulators.
  • The United States is the world’s largest market, a leading trade and investment partner, and a model for economic and regulatory policymaking around the world.  C&M International advises and supports clients in their strategic engagement with the U.S. government to shape U.S. and international trade and investment policies, as well as the U.S. and international regulatory landscapes.  C&M International also works with clients to partner with the U.S. government to solve issues in third country markets, and as a resource and knowledge partner in multilateral forums.

    Members of our senior staff have been deeply engaged in every major international trade negotiation of the past three decades. We know the U.S. government, we know the dynamics of the negotiating table and how policies are developed, and we know the issues.  We also work closely with the key trade and economic policy players in the U.S. government at the White House, on Capitol Hill, in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and in the departments of Commerce, State, Treasury, HHS, including the FDA, and USDA among others.

    The respect in which we are held by agencies of the U.S. government and on Capitol Hill, by embassies and in foreign capitals, at the WTO, and by principals in other international bodies such as the UN, EU, ASEAN, OECD, WHO, and APEC, means that we bring the knowledge, experience, partnerships, critical networks and, most importantly, the creativity to help our clients achieve their objectives in the U.S. and globally.

    Case Studies

    • Each year we design and execute comprehensive programs for American trade associations based abroad to inform the Congress and the Administration, and the broader trade and economic policy community of the situation on the ground in country and advance specific policy priorities.  These “doorknocks” are found by all to be extremely influential as the U.S. government determines its approach to these foreign countries. We work closely with our clients to refine their objectives and messaging and develop highly customized programs that include senior administration officials, members of Congress, think tanks, embassies, and other stakeholders. 
    • For over thirty years we have advised clients in all aspects of their engagement with the U.S. government on economic and regulatory issues.  This has included analyzing key developments in U.S. economic and regulatory policy and the impact on our client’s interests, including opportunities to increase the bottom line, as well as developing strategies and messaging for clients to use in their discussions with the U.S. government.  We also represent clients directly in advocacy and negotiations with Congress and the administration.
    • We work with a number of associations in partnership with the U.S. government and other Asia-Pacific governments to improve and better align the regulatory environment abroad in a number of sectors, including chemicals, ICT, food and agriculture, and health, using a range of multilateral and bilateral platforms.  Aligning regulatory approaches to product approvals or the operating environment represent huge potential savings by our clients.

    The United States is the world’s largest market, a leading trade and investment partner, and a model for economic and regulatory policymaking around the world.  C&M International advises and supports clients in their strategic engagement with the U.S. government to shape U.S. and international trade and investment policies, as well as the U.S. and international regulatory landscapes.  C&M International also works with clients to partner with the U.S. government to solve issues in third country markets, and as a resource and knowledge partner in multilateral forums.

    Members of our senior staff have been deeply engaged in every major international trade negotiation of the past three decades. We know the U.S. government, we know the dynamics of the negotiating table and how policies are developed, and we know the issues.  We also work closely with the key trade and economic policy players in the U.S. government at the White House, on Capitol Hill, in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and in the departments of Commerce, State, Treasury, HHS, including the FDA, and USDA among others.

    The respect in which we are held by agencies of the U.S. government and on Capitol Hill, by embassies and in foreign capitals, at the WTO, and by principals in other international bodies such as the UN, EU, ASEAN, OECD, WHO, and APEC, means that we bring the knowledge, experience, partnerships, critical networks and, most importantly, the creativity to help our clients achieve their objectives in the U.S. and globally.

    Case Studies

    • Each year we design and execute comprehensive programs for American trade associations based abroad to inform the Congress and the Administration, and the broader trade and economic policy community of the situation on the ground in country and advance specific policy priorities.  These “doorknocks” are found by all to be extremely influential as the U.S. government determines its approach to these foreign countries. We work closely with our clients to refine their objectives and messaging and develop highly customized programs that include senior administration officials, members of Congress, think tanks, embassies, and other stakeholders. 
    • For over thirty years we have advised clients in all aspects of their engagement with the U.S. government on economic and regulatory issues.  This has included analyzing key developments in U.S. economic and regulatory policy and the impact on our client’s interests, including opportunities to increase the bottom line, as well as developing strategies and messaging for clients to use in their discussions with the U.S. government.  We also represent clients directly in advocacy and negotiations with Congress and the administration.
    • We work with a number of associations in partnership with the U.S. government and other Asia-Pacific governments to improve and better align the regulatory environment abroad in a number of sectors, including chemicals, ICT, food and agriculture, and health, using a range of multilateral and bilateral platforms.  Aligning regulatory approaches to product approvals or the operating environment represent huge potential savings by our clients.
|

Professionals