Zarit, William

Regional Director for the Department of Commerce's U.S.& Foreign Commercial Service (US&FCS), William Zarit oversees all Commercial Sections in U.S. Embassies and U.S. Consulates in East Asia Pacific. As the U.S. Government's leading global frontline trade agency, US&FCS annually facilitates tens of billions of dollars in U.S. exports while protecting U.S. business interests overseas. Mr. Zarit also leads the US&FCS Energy Team promoting clean energy technology sales to other Asia Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate member countries, including India.

Prior to coming to Washington, D.C. Mr. Zarit was the Commercial Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Malaysia. Addressing the post 9/11 trade promotion obstacles in an antagonistic environment, he led the Commercial Section to reach a number of milestones, including facilitating the highest number of U.S. exporters to Malaysia since the Asia Financial Crisis in 1997, organizing the largest U.S. export trade mission ever to Malaysia, and the first ever "SeeAmerica" Travel Fair and "America Trade Fair" in Kuala Lumpur.

In 1998 Mr. Zarit took over as Deputy Senior Commercial Officer in Beijing, US&FCS's largest overseas operation that includes offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shenyang. In addition to supporting President Clinton's groundbreaking Presidential visit, he participated in successful efforts to gain Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China, and supported successful negotiations for China's entry into the WTO.

Mr. Zarit started his US&FCS career in 1993 as Commercial Officer at the American Institute in Taiwan, where he did definitive reporting on Taiwan's newly-liberalized cable TV environment, telecommunications liberalization, wireless communications privatization, and creation of a National Information Infrastructure. He played a key role in Trade and Investment Talks as well as bilateral WTO accession negotiations with Taiwan. Mr. Zarit was assigned as Deputy Senior Commercial Officer in 1996, managing operations in Taipei and Kaohsiung.

Before joining the US&FCS Mr. Zarit was Program Officer with the New York-based National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, where he organized and executed exchanges for with China involving trade policy and other economic decision-making. Prior to the National Committee and on the heels of the break up of AT&T, Mr. Zarit pioneered the China market for the California-based Regional Bell Operating Company Pacific Telesis as Beijing-based Marketing Manager. Before joining Pacific Telesis, in the early years of China's computer industry development, Mr. Zarit served as Project Manager for the high technology trading company China Business Associates, Inc. Based in Beijing, he led the firm in 1984 to become the first IBM PC dealer in China.

Mr. Zarit worked as a State Department Interpreter Escort in Manadarin Chinese in 1980 through 1982, having studied the language at the Taiwan Normal University and the Mandarin News Language School in Taipei.

Mr. Zarit received his M.B.A. with Honors in International Marketing and Finance from the University of California, Berkeley, and his B.A. with Honors in Political Science from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio and Luxembourg.

Contact:

• Zarit, William
  Regional Director
  Dpt. of Commerce – US & Foreign Commercial Services
  1401 Constitution Ave., NW
  Washington, DC 20230
  
  
• T: 202.482.2000
  
  
• www.commerce.gov