The American withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement has opened the door to China to try and strike a pose as the leading defender of liberalized trade and globalization. The public face of this new push is none other than China’s president. This month, Xi became the first Chinese president to speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos where he set forth the case for continuing to expand global trade.

The outcome of the U.S. election has created considerable uncertainty at the country’s future policy directions towards the Asia Pacific. While it is difficult to predict how U.S. economic diplomacy in the region will change [...]. As a general rule, the United States has had more care for the development of the international system of global trade and investment than many other countries. 

Under the patronage of HE Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Ministry of Economy, Global Trade Development Week 2014 will be an unprecedented gathering of business and government leaders from over 80 countries.  Global Trade Development Week is the world’s largest trade facilitation, development, investment & customs program of events.

Tony Abbott has revealed a secret and unlikely admiration for the world’s most powerful leader, describing Barack Obama as an “extraordinarily gifted man” and a potential friend to rival past ­presidents. But as the PM headed into his first official talks with the US President in Washington today, he pulled no punches in saying he would aggressively push for a historic strengthening of US-Australian relations.

Over the past few years, the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings has collaborated with a wide variety of U.S. metro areas to develop localized export plans and explore the importance of increased global engagement. One of the questions frequently raised by local participants revolves around the role mayors and their associated local economic development offices can and should play in global trade and investment. Some assume this is an area private sector firms can best manage on their own.