LTI: International Trade Consulting
Customized for Your Business
Based in the US and China, Larkin Trade International offers international trade consulting to help businesses in heavily regulated industries thrive in global markets.
International Trade Consulting
Built on Unrivaled Expertise
LTI has become a global leader in international trade consulting because no one can match the team’s passion, diverse professional experience, and commitment to fair competition. Drawing on decades of experience in corporate leadership, law enforcement, and the US civil service, the experts at LTI can help you turn your international trade problem into an opportunity for growth.
At its founding in 2005, LTI specialized in US-China trade compliance and policy analysis matters. In the years since, the company’s international trade consulting has expanded to cover trade compliance and policy analysis throughout Asia Pacific, the EU, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and elsewhere. No matter where a client is based, LTI works to assess the trade and regulatory issues that could hinder business, while developing business strategies to maintain both compliance and profitability.
Whether you need one-time emergency management or an ongoing and evolving compliance strategy, LTI has the flexibility to tailor its services to the needs of both multinationals and small businesses. All of our international trade consulting services are available in both English and Chinese.
LTI Delivers Premier International Trade Consulting in
High Tech
Achieve compliance and identify
cutting-edge market opportunities.
Aerospace
Maintain compliance in one of
the global economy’s most
tightly regulated industries.
Semiconductors
Avoid sanctions as export
controls expand.
Web and Cloud Services
Develop a comprehensive compliance
and business strategy.
The LTI International
Trade Consulting Team
John Larkin
Founder & CEO
Prior to founding LTI in 2005, John Larkin served as the Director for Export Compliance for Veeco Compound Semiconductor, a company that provides compound semiconductor manufacturing equipment for use in the production of light emitting diodes, radio frequency emitters, and solar cells. In this position, John leveraged his knowledge of Asian markets and export controls to help Veeco address trade issues concerning Asia and other global markets. Among other duties, he developed a market strategy in line with export compliance policies, provided guidance on logistics and regulatory issues, and served as a primary liaison with U.S. and foreign government officials.
From 2002-2004, John served at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing as the Export Control Attaché and as a Commercial Officer. As the Export Control Attaché, John was the Bureau of Industry and Security representative in China, serving as the U.S. Government expert on dual-use export controls. In that role, John traveled extensively throughout China, conducting site visits at the facilities of Chinese companies and meeting with provincial Chinese officials. John was a primary U.S. government representative in negotiating a bilateral export control agreement concluded in 2004. The US Secretary of Commerce awarded John a gold medal for his role in these negotiations. As a Commercial Officer, John provided counseling and assistance to U.S. companies on a broad range of trade issues and served clients in various industry sectors, including aerospace, machine tools, nuclear, and IT/Telecom. John authored reports for the Country Commercial Guide in the machine tool and security equipment sectors, among others, as well as program reports on export controls and standards.
From 1995-2001, John was a Special Agent, first with the U.S. Customs Service in Los Angeles, then with the Dallas Field Office of the Bureau of Industry and Security. As a Special Agent, John conducted administrative and criminal investigations related to U.S. government trade laws and regulations, including valuation, intellectual properties rights, anti-dumping, and export controls. From this experience, John became well versed in U.S. and foreign trade laws and regulations. In 2001, the Secretary of Commerce awarded John a silver medal for the successful completion of a complex and international investigation.
John is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.A. 1989, M.S. 1989) and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He speaks, reads, and writes Mandarin Chinese.
Amanda Larkin
Senior Vice President
Amanda Larkin is knowledgeable and experienced in international business management and trade policies. She has drawn on her expertise to provide solutions for multinational companies conducting business that involves China. She assists on numerous matters, including government relations, trade promotion, logistic assessment, customs compliance, export controls, license applications, standards and certifications, investigations, Chinese regulatory evaluation and analysis (including taxation regulations), and intellectual property right and encryption regulations (including agricultural regulations).
In the area of export controls, Amanda has worked with both U.S. and Chinese companies to provide due diligence reports on Chinese end-users; assist in obtaining Chinese Importer Statements of End-User and End-Use; assist in classifying items under both U.S. and Chinese export control laws while obtaining both U.S. and Chinese export licenses; develop and implement compliance programs for clients working in China to ensure they meet all requirements imposed by U.S. and Chinese export control laws; and liaise with U.S. and Chinese officials responsible for the implementation and enforcement of export control laws.
Amanda earned a B.A. in Literature and Business from Beijing Foreign Studies University in China. She later obtained her M.B.A. from École Supérieure de Commerce de Lille in France (SKEMA). She speaks, reads, and writes in Mandarin Chinese, English, and French.
Tina Larkin
Chief Financial Officer
Tina Larkin joined LTI in May 2007 as Senior Financial Officer. For the last eight years she has performed client-related work as a senior consultant in export compliance, import compliance, and due diligence-focused market research. In 2017, Tina passed the customs broker’s exam to become a licensed customs broker. As a licensed broker, Tina is the lead on LTI’s consulting on U.S. customs matters, with a focus on classification and valuation related work.
From 2002-2004, John served at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing as the Export Control Attaché and as a Commercial Officer. As the Export Control Attaché, John was the Bureau of Industry and Security representative in China, serving as the U.S. Government expert on dual-use export controls. In that role, John traveled extensively throughout China, conducting site visits at the facilities of Chinese companies and meeting with provincial Chinese officials. John was a primary U.S. government representative in negotiating a bilateral export control agreement concluded in 2004. The US Secretary of Commerce awarded John a gold medal for his role in these negotiations. As a Commercial Officer, John provided counseling and assistance to U.S. companies on a broad range of trade issues and served clients in various industry sectors, including aerospace, machine tools, nuclear, and IT/Telecom. John authored reports for the Country Commercial Guide in the machine tool and security equipment sectors, among others, as well as program reports on export controls and standards.
From 1995-2001, John was a Special Agent, first with the U.S. Customs Service in Los Angeles, then with the Dallas Field Office of the Bureau of Industry and Security. As a Special Agent, John conducted administrative and criminal investigations related to U.S. government trade laws and regulations, including valuation, intellectual properties rights, anti-dumping, and export controls. From this experience, John became well versed in U.S. and foreign trade laws and regulations. In 2001, the Secretary of Commerce awarded John a silver medal for the successful completion of a complex and international investigation.
John is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.A. 1989, M.S. 1989) and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He speaks, reads, and writes Mandarin Chinese.
Li Jing
General Manager, LTI Beijing Office
Li Jing joined LTI’s Beijing Office in 2007 and is now the director responsible for the Chinese Customs and Standards portfolio. In her customs work, Li assists clients with all matters related to Chinese customs. This work includes but is not limited to assistance in classification under the Chinese HS Code, Chinese customs clearance requirements, import licensing requirements, and classification of import/export enterprises for Chinese customs.
In her standards work, Li has a complete understanding of standards development, implementation, and enforcement in China. She also has excellent relationships with various Chinese government agencies and industry associations involved in Chinese standards. Li has also assisted clients in meeting Chinese standards requirements and obtaining Chinese certifications and standards-related import licenses, such as the China Compulsory Certificate (CCC) from the China Certification Center. Li has also provided assistance in LTI’s other specialty areas, such as due diligence research and export controls.
Before joining LTI, Li worked for Lianhe Credit Information Service Co., Ltd. as a market researcher and as secretary of the Committee for Credit Rating. Her work for Lianhe included collecting Chinese industrial policy information, developing and managing databases, and editing reports. She gained experience in assessing business, management operations, company credit histories, and relevant Chinese regulations.
Li earned her B.A. in Literature from the Hefei University of Technology in China, where she also studied English and International Trade. She speaks, reads, and writes in both English and Mandarin Chinese.
Paige Rivas
Director of U.S. Government Relations
Paige Rivas’s portfolio includes U.S. government relations, trade advocacy, and China market access issues. She advises clients operating in China on U.S. and Chinese export controls and Chinese standards development and regulations. She also serves as an advisor to AmCham China’s Export Compliance Working Group, and is the Co-Chair of AmCham China’s Standards Committee.
Paige previously worked as a consultant and lobbyist at King & Spalding’s international trade practice in Washington, D.C. In this position, Paige, among her other duties, worked with American companies in the development and advocacy of their respective positions on legislative and regulatory trade issues before Congress and the Administration. Before joining King & Spalding, Paige served as an international trade advisor to the House of Representatives Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade and advised committee members on policies related to trade and manufacturing.
Prior to advising the House of Representatives, Paige was the senior policy advisor for the assistant secretary for import administration in the Department of Commerce. In that role, she advised the assistant secretary on international trade policy, trade legislation, and anti-dumping and countervailing duty-related matters. She also participated in bilateral and multilateral negotiations of trade policy at the World Trade Organization and in the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement negotiations, including attending negotiating sessions in Seoul, Korea, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Paige has an MA in International Relations from American University and a BA in Political Science from Southern Illinois University.
Huang Jie (Helen)
Director, Export Compliance (Beijing)
Huang Jie has broad knowledge and experience in US export compliance and international business, which she gained from working for many years with LTI and in well-known multinational companies. Huang export compliance expertise includes internal compliance programs (ICPs), end-user due diligence, export license applications, and high-tech market research and analysis.
Prior to joining LTI, Huang worked as Export Compliance and Logistics Manager at Veeco Instruments Co., Ltd., in Beijing. Veeco is a US-based company that manufactures both precise metrology instruments and compound semiconductor manufacturing equipment for use in the production of LEDs, radio frequency emitters, and solar cells. Working in Veeco’s Beijing office, Huang was responsible for providing training on US export regulations to Veeco and APAC subsidiaries, implementing their internal compliance program, performing end-user due diligence, applying for export licenses, and communicating directly with the Chinese Government. Huang was also responsible for ensuring the fulfillment of customer contract terms from order to delivery, monitoring equipment, supervising inventory, managing logistics, and assisting with customs clearance.
Prior to her work with Veeco, Huang served as Executive Assistant in the Sourcing Center of Clariant International Ltd., a dyestuff manufacturer headquartered in Switzerland. In this position, Huang supplied updated market information to headquarters and company affiliates to build up a global sourcing network. She recommended “selected suppliers” by conducting thorough market research and frequent onsite visits to local suppliers; negotiated best purchase prices; ensured fulfillment of customer contract terms; and provided rolling sales forecasts to company production sites in China.
Huang earned a B.A. from Shandong Normal University in English Literature and Language. She has also studied international trade and economics at Peking University. She speaks, reads, and writes English and Mandarin, Chinese.
Shannon Bethea
Senior Consultant
Shannon Bethea joined LTI in September 2015 and brought with her an excellent background of more than 15 years of experience in international trade and logistics. With deep technical knowledge and understanding of the U.S. Export Administration regulations for dual-use items, Shannon assists clients in matters relating to export controls and customs compliance. This includes but is not limited to assistance in ECCN and harmonized system tariff classification for products, technology, and software.
Before joining LTI, Shannon worked as a trade compliance analyst for Broadcom Corporation, a multinational global leader in the semiconductor industry for wired and wireless communications. Her work for Broadcom included developing new standard operating procedures, assisting with company-wide training awareness programs, and implementing a written internal trade compliance program that maximized global trade operational efficiency while minimizing risks and increasing overall company compliance.
Her daily work also included performing import/export classification analyses with engineering teams, conducting end-use and end-user screening, and processing external customer/distributor export classification requests. She also prepared trade compliance documents, such as training manuals, flowcharts, technical specifications, supplier contracts/business license agreements, due diligence reports, project specifications, policy statements, audit reports, and export licenses. She gained technical experience with classification of diverse semiconductor technologies and related end-item applications within various markets. Her portfolio includes an expertise in encryption products and the regulatory requirements of licensing/exceptions and reporting.
Tian Xiao
Program Director
Tian Xiao is our program director responsible for the export compliance portfolio in China. She is in charge of following and addressing export controls and compliance in China. Tian has a complete understanding of Chinese dual-use export control laws and regulations and their implementation and enforcement. She has excellent relations with the various Chinese agencies responsible for export controls and many industry associations covering trade in dual-use items.
Her work to date includes tracking new developments in Chinese export controls, providing research on Chinese end-users, and assisting clients in obtaining Chinese end-user statements and export licenses. Currently, Tian is also performing the duties of the on-site compliance officer for one of LTI’s clients dealing with U.S. and Chinese origin technology and products covered under categories 3 and 5 of the CCL. She is working to ensure the company complies with all U.S. and Chinese export control laws and regulations.
Tian holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of International Business and Economics located in Beijing. Her studies included Marketing, International Trade and Theory, International Law of Commerce, Finance, Insurance, Business English, and Political Science. She speaks, reads, and writes English and Mandarin Chinese. She has an NCRE certificate with a rank of two.
Geng Jinghui
Senior Consultant
Geng Jinghui is LTI’s senior consultant responsible for the Chinese customs and Taiwanese customs portfolio. In that capacity, Geng provides clients with assistance on all matters related to Chinese customs and Taiwanese customs. This includes assistance in classification under the Chinese and Taiwanese HS Codes, Chinese and Taiwanese customs clearance requirements, import licensing requirements, and classification of import/export enterprises for Chinese and Taiwanese customs.
Geng has also provided assistance in LTI’s other specialty areas, such as market research and export controls. He is now involved in export compliance work related to classifications and is LTI’s representative at the United States Information Technology Organization’s Cybersecurity working group.
Geng graduated from the Beijing Jiao Tong University in China, where he studied English and International Trade. He speaks, reads, and writes in both English and Mandarin Chinese.
Wang Xiaoli (Monica)
Consultant
Since joining LTI’s Beijing office in 2013, Wang Xiaoli has been responsible for Chinese customs and cybersecurity policy related work. In her work concerning Chinese customs, she assists customers in HS code classification, provides guidance on customs clearance requirements, and handles import and export licensing requirements. In her work regarding cybersecurity policies, Wang assists clients in tracking cybersecurity related policies, regulations, and implementation standards. Wang also assists in LTI’s other specialty areas, such as market research and export control matters, which involve customer compliance screening and background checks.
Before joining LTI, Wang worked as a customs broker for Jardine-CCTA Logistics Services Ltd. and Beijing Leading Edge Container Services Co., Ltd. She has deep experience in customs clearance related to air and sea transportation, and she provides customers with tailored customs clearance guidance to ensure quick clearance and efficient logistics. She is an expert in Chinese customs policies, laws, and regulations.
