Much of the growth in global prosperity in recent decades has been driven by increasingly open markets in trade and financial flows. But the current populist backlash in a number of developed countries to the economic effects of liberalized trade is spurring reexamination of some long-held assumptions. With China pressing both the US and EU to recognize it as a market economy under WTO rules, what are the challenges for the WTO? Are multilateral trade agreements still likely, or are we falling into a world of bilateral deals?

Moderator:

Adrian Wooldridge, Political Editor and Bagehot Columnist, the Economist

Speakers:

Ailish Campbell, Chief Trade Commissioner of Canada and Assistant Deputy Minister, International Business Development, Global Affairs Canada

Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development, University of Oxford; Director, Oxford Martin Programme on Technological and Economic Change

William Lee, Chief Economist, Milken Institute

Rhonda Schmidtlein, Chairman, U.S. International Trade Commission