NEW PAPER
What should a new global trading system look like?
By Stewart Paterson, Research Fellow, Hinrich Foundation
NEW ARTICLE
The global impact of China’s EV dominance
By Arjun Gargeyas, Master in Public Policy Candidate, Harvard Kennedy School
Advancing sustainable global trade
By Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Understanding global trade
Original research, strategic insights and quick analysis that offer a better understanding of key global trade trends and issues.
The Hinrich-IMD Sustainable Trade Index (STI) measures the capacity of 30 major trading economies for long-term economic growth, societal well-being, and environmental stewardship across 71 indicators.

APEC wasn’t epic for trade: Five takeaways from the San Francisco summit

21 November 2023

The true cost of USTR’s U-turn on data in the WTO e-commerce talks

21 November 2023

A new way to teach international trade law

14 November 2023
How creditworthy is your economy?
14 November 2023

Shifting tides: How the US-China rivalry reshapes Southeast Asian priorities

07 November 2023

Evolution not devolution at the WTO

07 November 2023
Testing the limits of WTO security exceptions
08 August 2023

“A smaller planet”: Friendshoring’s poorer and less secure world

31 October 2023

De-risking semiconductor supply chains

26 September 2023
Trade distortion and protectionism


04 July 2023

Public policy considerations for climbing global value chains in Asia

06 June 2023
Trade education tools
Our trade education tools include the International Trade Rankings to help students and employers identify the best trade-related masters programs around the world; and scholarships and short courses for trade business professionals, media and policymakers.
Scholarships & Short-Courses
Global Rankings of International Trade Master's Programs
The QS International Trade Rankings help students to identify programs that will secure them employment and accelerate their trade careers, enable companies to hire work-ready talent, and provide universities with comparability, recognition and the means to enhance their global trade programs.

INSEAD Master in Business Administration
INSEAD shapes leaders who are equipped to tackle world-scale challenges and advance business as a force for good. Its values are aligned with those of the Hinrich Foundation. Scholars are up-and-coming executives looking to advance sustainable trade . . .
Hinrich Foundation Alumni Association
We established the Hinrich Foundation Alumni Association (HFAA) to stimulate regular exchanges between young trade leaders committed to advancing sustainable global trade. Led by the Alumni Leadership Committee, the HFAA is a community of people who . . .

Georgetown Master of Science in Foreign Service
Through this generous partial tuition scholarship, we aim to empower future leaders in government, business and civil society to advance trade in consideration of balancing economic, social and environmental implications. The campus in Washington, . . .

2023 Journalists Trade Training
Held from 23 to 26 July in Singapore, the NPF International Trade Fellowship 2023 is a four-day journalism training workshop offered in partnership with the National Press Foundation (NPF). 24 Asia-based journalists embarked on an immersive . . .
Resources, support, and recognition for journalists
Objective analysis of trade trends and issues, short-courses, Masters in International Journalism Studies (MAIJS) scholarships and an award for distinguished reporting on trade.
Our experts are trusted by news organizations across the globe


In the news
Media come to us for fresh thinking and deep analysis into the issues impacting global trade outcomes. Read our recent experts’ commentaries. Drawn from a wide range of disciplines and sectors, our experts offer valuable views and opinions on achieving sustainable global trade.


26 February 2023
Featured our analysis on the prospect of a ‘rainforest OPEC’ by contributor Henry Storey and Director of Research Chuin Wei Yap. "The Hinrich Foundation speculated that the existence of large carbon sinks in the form of forests could lead to a substantial increase in economic power for the "Global South."

Chinese spy balloon saga reveals US and China as weak and unprepared, experts believe

14 February 2023
Cited Stephen Olson's analysis on whether the spy balloon debacle would derail Biden’s China strategy. "Perhaps the most salient takeaway...is that neither side feels it is in a particularly strong position at the moment. Attempting to calm the seas – at least for now – serves the best interests of both."


12 February 2023
The election of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as president of Brazil has raised the possibility of a free-trade deal between China and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). But the agreement will further increase competition between Washington and Beijing in the so-called backyard of the United States, says Stephen Olson.

Outside voices: Has a ‘detached, disinterested’ U.S. turned away from the WTO?

02 February 2023
A reproduction of Keith Rockwell's "searing assessment" of the state of play at the World Trade Organization and ithe body's "fraying seams", beset by a “sharp deterioration” in US leadership. Keith Rockwell is Senior Research Fellow at the Hinrich Foundation and former Spokesman of the WTO.

China still wants to control Big Tech. It’s just pulling different strings

27 January 2023
Investors have raced back into Chinese tech stocks this year, but the enthusiasm may prove to be premature. Beijing is tightening its grip on Big Tech in the country by acquiring so-called “golden shares”. The policy could present a “nightmare” scenario for foreign investors, says Research Fellow Alex Capri.
Trade Connectivity: Past, Present, Future
25 January 2024
As multilateral institutions built in the postwar era, from the United Nations to the World Trade Organization, increasingly grapple with institutional paralysis and geopolitically-driven dysfunction, a new term has come into policy vogue: minilateralism.
Did too much faith in free markets undo globalization?
China’s revived mercantilism and state-led capitalism defy traditional laissez-faire trade theory, revealing a shift toward the statist approach to industrial policy and retaliatory trade actions. This interview by the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents-USA, in partnership with the Hinrich Foundation, unpacks the disruptive forces in the free market system.
Advancing trade sustainability in a fragmenting world
The Hinrich-IMD Sustainable Trade Index (STI) measures the readiness and capacity of 30 economies to participate sustainably in the international trading system. The fifth edition of the index was launched on 26 October 2023. Watch the recap here.
Where Great Powers Meet by David Shambaugh
In his book, Where Great Powers Meet: America and China in Southeast Asia, Professor Shambaugh examines how the United States and China are engaged in a broad-gauged and global competition for power.
The World Turned Upside Down by Clyde Prestowitz
In this book, Clyde Prestowitz describes the key challenges posed by China and the strategies America and other liberal democracies must adopt to meet them. He argues that these approaches must be more sophisticated and comprehensive than a narrowly targeted trade war, and that they don't have to contravene international or domestic law.
China, Trade and Power by Stewart Paterson
We supported the publication of “China, Trade and Power: Why the West’s Economic Engagement Has Failed” to promote reasoned and informed debate on the trade relationship between the West and China. This book, by Stewart Paterson, describes the unintended consequences of the policy of engagement that led to China's accession to the WTO in 2001, and aims to equip policymakers, business leaders and civil societies to contribute to the design of mutually beneficial approaches for sustainable global trade.
Developing China: The Remarkable Impact of Foreign Direct Investment
We commissioned Professor Michael J. Enright to lead a major research project identifying the impact of foreign direct investment on China’s economic development. The book provides a powerful analysis of China’s policies toward foreign investment and gives foreign companies tools to demonstrate their contributions to host countries, showing the tremendous power of foreign investment to help transform economies.