How to Keep Your Footing Amidst Seismic Shifts in Global Trade

The international, multi-national consensus for reducing trade barriers was starting to fray well before the British and American people voiced their skepticism publicly, and voted in favor of Brexit and President Trump, respectively. Even before the 2016 US election, candidate Hilary Clinton had also backed away from signing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal she was once involved in negotiating. As countries such as China and India have developed into economic powerhouses, many in both the public and private sectors in the West have expressed dismay over how the current global trading order no longer seems to be bringing the same benefits to the public.

In spite of this, the global supply chain is more interconnected than ever, and even efforts to decouple the US and China have only deepened each country's relationships to places such as Mexico, Vietnam, and even more of Europe. What can be done to restore the public's faith in global trade? Are the concerns more about the changing nature of manufacturing—or that trade is a zero-sum game? This session will have a frank, in-depth discussion of how vital trade is—and how it can function amid all the friction at home and abroad.