If the U.S. Doesn’t Get China Right, Nothing Else Will Matter
General Michael Hayden, the co-host of The Cipher Brief’s Annual Threat Conference for the past two years, has famously said that the world has been […] More
trade
Bipartisan Hill Group Slams Trump’s China Policy
President Donald Trump’s wooing of Chinese President Xi Jinping has so far failed to deliver the results he promised since their first summit meeting in […] More
U.S. Launches China Trade Probe, a Sign of “Living in the Past”
U.S. President Donald Trump this week decided to launch an investigation into Chinese practices on intellectual property. The move angered Beijing, which said the trade […] More
Free Trade’s New Champions
The recently agreed framework for a Europe-Japan free trade agreement could not provide a clearer indication as to the changing of the guard in terms […] More
The Latest
Japan and the EU Show That Free Trade Will Not Wait for Trump
In keeping with his America First agenda, President Donald Trump is pushing ahead with the promised new direction in U.S. trade and international economic policy. […] More
Is the U.S. Getting Outmaneuvered at Sea?
Retired Admiral James Stavridis believes the Trump Administration fails to recognize the importance of our oceans. In his new book Sea Power: The History and […] More
How Can the U.S. Level the Digital Trade Playing Field?
Trade growth has been running flat against GDP growth since 2012. According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), global trade volumes grew just 1.3 percent in […] More
U.S. Internet Firms Could Slowly Lose Edge to Asian Rivals
The McKinsey Global Institute estimated last year that digital trade has a greater impact on economic growth, measured by a nation’s Gross Domestic Product, than […] More
Trump Administration Risks Falling into Protectionist Trap
In recent years, global trade growth has slowed significantly, even creeping below global GDP growth at a level that hasn’t been seen in decades. Some […] More
The “China Solution”: Beijing Aims for Global Leadership
U.S. President Donald Trump marked his 100th day in office with an executive order calling for a review of U.S. trade deals, as well as […] More
Belt and Road Summit: Beijing’s Push on Trade
Forgive free-trade advocates for being a bit disoriented this year. The vertigo hit hard in January, when trade’s most notable defender at the World Economic […] More
Dispelling Myths About Chinese Investment in Africa
Investment priorities and trends have changed as China’s economy and those of its African partners continue to develop. Chinese firms see an opportunity for lucrative, […] More
Are Ivanka’s Personal Interests Influencing China Policy?
On April 6 – the same day Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner dined with President Xi and his wife at Mar-a-Lago – the Chinese government […] More
China’s Evolving Security Interests in Africa
As China’s economic interests in Africa have expanded, its security interests have kept pace, to protect Chinese nationals and assets across the continent. To that […] More
China Expands Investments Across Africa
Decades ago, China saw economic partnerships with African nations as a means of securing political support. As China’s economy has evolved towards export manufacture, its […] More
Market Forces, Not Rhetoric, Will Drive Globalization
The United States has been the standard-bearer for free trade, multilateralism, and globalization since the end of World War II. However, as the Trump administration […] More
The Backlash Against Protectionism
Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has backed up the protectionist – and even isolationist – rhetoric of his campaign with concrete action. […] More
Stepping into the Void of Trump’s Global Retreat
The presidency of Donald Trump has had a rocky start, punctuated by embarrassing personnel shakeups, sloppy messaging, and major policy changes. However, the administration has […] More
Strategic Consequences of U.S. Withdrawal from TPP
Since negotiations concluded for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in late 2015, observers have argued that Asian policymakers would interpret failure of the pact as a […] More