Global trade research
Our insights and original research shine a light on global trade trends and issues through a balanced and objective perspective. We highlight the conditions for making trade more sustainable.
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The Hinrich Foundation supports research projects and initiatives that advance understanding of global trade issues and support policy development. We invite researchers and organizations to submit proposals for research, which are considered twice during each calendar year.
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Trade topics
Sustainable trade
199 articles & resources | 82 experts
Trade should deliver mutually acceptable benefits between trading partners and achieve balanced economic, environmental and social outcomes.
Explore our topical research, including the Sustainable Trade Index, which measures the capacity of economies to participate in international trade in a manner that supports the long-term domestic and global goals of economic growth, environmental protection, and better social equity.
The STI 2022 is the fourth edition of the index.

Mexico and Vietnam’s role in global supply chain reshuffle
26 September 2023

The costs of export restrictions to the global economy
19 September 2023

Supply traceability: How US trade policies affect Vietnam's garment industry
11 April 2023

Superpower rivalry heats up global race for human capital
04 April 2023

Global flows: The ties that bind in an interconnected world
21 February 2023

A global rainforest deal is more complicated than you think
31 January 2023

Digital trade facilitation holds the key to resilient trade
06 December 2022

As we enter a new era of instability, we need new institutions. What should they look like?
29 November 2022

China’s growth ambitions tangle with net zero realities
26 October 2022

Biden’s contradictory goals set to collide at G-20 and APEC
11 October 2022

Foreign investment has helped to deliver growth in Southeast Asia – can it also deliver sustainable development?
05 October 2022

Battling food shortages: India steps up, but in the wrong direction
20 September 2022

“Securing fairness”: Europe unsheathes the International Procurement Instrument
02 August 2022

Wind and wires: Can Europe stay ahead in green and 5G technologies?
26 April 2022

Stepping on the gas: the Ukraine war reshapes climate and energy policy
12 April 2022

Will war in Ukraine unperch US dollar preeminence in global trade?
29 March 2022

Putin’s gamble shakes up energy trade – and China may gain
15 March 2022

Counting carbon: The implications of border carbon adjustments on developing countries
14 December 2021

Making the most of the ‘C’ in APEC – for cooperation to tackle climate change
09 November 2021

Advancing sustainable development in Asia: What role for trade and investment?
03 November 2021

The WTO, trade agreements, and sustainable trade: the Asian experience
03 November 2021

Lithium is ‘new oil’ as electric vehicle market expands
21 September 2021

Reduced trade barriers on vaccines can balance economic recovery
31 August 2021

More is less: How China’s policies could weaken global food security
27 July 2021

Rising copper prices: a sign of economic recovery or market distortion?
06 July 2021

Old wine in new bottles? India’s new search for self-reliance
18 May 2021

Is US trade policy going green? Environment takes center stage at USTR
18 May 2021

Value chains: Clear skies over Asia’s new foreign investment landscape
11 May 2021

GVC resilience: COVID-19 won’t rattle East Asian supply chains
05 May 2021

De-risk vaccine production: The risk of doing too little
27 April 2021

Inclusive growth: The digital transformation of East Asian trade
20 April 2021

International trade in 2021: Three key trade questions
06 January 2021

Traducing cross-border supply chains: Who benefits?
01 December 2020

Indonesia's "Omnibus Bill" weakens labor and environmental standards
13 October 2020

China's "dual circulation" will bring more sustainable trade
14 September 2020

Four trade trends post COVID-19 and how they will affect growth
16 June 2020

Tensions mount between security and efficiency in global trade
21 May 2020

The pandemic disrupted global supply chains but were they already morphing?
21 May 2020

Flu vaccines result from global collaboration: A COVID-19 vaccine will too
30 April 2020

COVID-19 effects on business: More state intervention in business strategies
30 March 2020

Trade tensions rise on dual use technologies, protectionism and geopolitics
30 October 2019

"New NAFTA" debates signal importance – and challenges – of sustainable trade
23 September 2019

Poor enforcement and low utilization undermine benefits from international trade agreements
12 April 2019

Trump's China deal won't address the systemic issues
15 February 2019

How the Philippines can use sustainability to attract FDI
11 September 2018

Trade agreements take a back seat in the great international tax race
03 November 2017

China no longer treasures the world’s garbage: The WTO provides a place to trash talk
13 October 2017

North Korea-China trade ties: North Korea’s life jacket is becoming China’s straight jacket
29 September 2017

Less-educated men hit hard by technological shift in job market
10 August 2017

Small American cities depend more on exports than big cities
31 March 2017

Michael Jordan's vs. Qiaodan Sports – why better IP protection is a key condition for rules-based trade
09 January 2017

The US and China must avoid ‘competing camps’ mentality
03 November 2015
Trade and geopolitics
66 articles & resources | 45 experts
Trade and geopolitics are deeply interdependent, driven by nations’ shared economic interests in the global political landscape. As these common interests grow stronger, the root of their relationship deepens accordingly. This intricate relationship serves as a vital thread that weaves together economic interests, resource accessibility, trade route control, regional integration, and the pursuit of geopolitical goals.

Overuse of financial sanctions risks dollar’s role
05 September 2023

How China’s economic zones are challenging global norms

The drums echoing: Africa’s rising clout in global trade and geopolitics
08 August 2023

The complicated truth about sanctions on North Korea
25 July 2023

What's next for our age of globalization?

Dark waters: China and India are bidding up Russian oil sales
30 May 2023

Russia and China converge on the Ukraine war

Supply traceability: How US trade policies affect Vietnam's garment industry
11 April 2023

No limits: What China stands to gain from Russia’s war with the West
21 March 2023

China’s '2035 Standards' quest to dominate global standard-setting
21 February 2023

Friend-shoring pharmaceutical supply chains: The road to India
21 February 2023

How trade diversification changed in the last two decades
14 February 2023

Freeze and seize: Implications of asset confiscations for Russia, China, and the world
10 January 2023

Do national security concerns spell doom for truly global supply chains?
14 December 2022

Strategic reglobalization: Great power rivalry comes for the multilateral trading system
26 October 2022

US has a narrow window of opportunity to lead global trade
27 September 2022

China and the Rise of a Multipolar Economic Order: What Lies Ahead?
27 September 2022

How the war in Ukraine is changing the way nations tackle food security
06 September 2022

How dependent has the world become on trade with China? Does it matter?
06 September 2022

China’s sanctions regime and Lithuania: Policy responses for European institutions
16 August 2022

China’s Belt and Road Initiative in a post-pandemic world
10 August 2022

“Securing fairness”: Europe unsheathes the International Procurement Instrument
02 August 2022

China’s manufacturing dominance and the potential for weaponization of trade
19 July 2022

Supply chains are trying to diversify. Will ASEAN step in?
01 June 2022

Stepping on the gas: the Ukraine war reshapes climate and energy policy
12 April 2022

Will war in Ukraine unperch US dollar preeminence in global trade?
29 March 2022

Putin’s gamble shakes up energy trade – and China may gain
15 March 2022

Quick take: How is China responding to the Ukraine crisis?
01 March 2022

Mercantilist reciprocity or free trade: Globalization at a crossroads
19 October 2021

China's quest to shape the world through standards setting
13 July 2021

The economic balance of power and need for international alliances
08 October 2020

Is Africa an option for manufacturers pulling out of China?
24 May 2020

Tensions mount between security and efficiency in global trade
21 May 2020

Why stronger India-US trade is important for geopolitics
05 December 2019
Digital trade
99 articles & resources | 68 experts
Open digital trade and cross-border data flows create opportunities for more inclusive growth, particularly in emerging markets. But the rise of 'data sovereignty' is threating to fragment the global digital economy and limit the potential of new technologies. Explore our topical research, which includes a series of in-depth reports, essays, and infographic with a particular focus on data governance and trade facilitation.

Digital standards meet a rising tide of extraterritorial traceability mandates
29 August 2023

APEC 2023: A useful and realistic digital agenda for the United States' host year
06 June 2023

Trust in trade: Challenges to the global convergence on digital standards
28 March 2023

Super connector platforms can drive digital trade facilitation
07 March 2023

Digital trade facilitation holds the key to resilient trade
06 December 2022

Digital trade is undergoing a revolution. Are we prepared for it?
01 November 2022

Digital technology and global integration: Opportunities for innovative growth
11 October 2022

The search for global harmonization in trade digitization
20 September 2022

Digital provisions play a key role in Asia Pacific agreements
30 August 2022

Eyes on the prize: The race to hone visibility on supply chains
26 July 2022

Emergent digital fragmentation: The perils of unilateralism
28 June 2022

East Asia Forum Quarterly Vol. 14 No. 2: Asia's Digital Future
21 June 2022

Making digitalization work for small businesses in Asia
22 March 2022

Building a Wall Street for data – China’s data centers reflect grand ambitions
15 March 2022

China's ambitions to set the foundations for global e-commerce
01 March 2022

Can Japan resume a leading role in Malaysia’s industrialization?
22 February 2022

Geopolitical rivalries play out in Africa’s digital transformation
25 January 2022

Data sovereignty and trade agreements: Three digital kingdoms
18 January 2022

The turtle and the gazelle: Can competition policies effectively regulate the digital economy?
07 December 2021

Southeast Asian nations should tell the US what they want on the digital economy
16 November 2021

China’s ’Dual Cycle’ development model and the digital revolution
21 September 2021

Digital trade deals should focus more on small businesses
14 September 2021

India: leading or thwarting data governance and digital trade?
10 August 2021

Data is disruptive: How data sovereignty is challenging data governance
03 August 2021

Enabling trust, trade flows, and innovation: the DEPA at work
21 July 2021

Central Bank Digital Currency: A boon to the global trading system?
01 June 2021

Data governance and trade: The Asia-Pacific leads the way
11 May 2021

Inclusive growth: The digital transformation of East Asian trade
20 April 2021

Hinrich Foundation sponsored issue: East Asia Forum Quarterly Vol 13 No. 2
20 April 2021

Increasing access and interoperability of cross-border e-payments in Asia
07 April 2021

China is giving ancient Silk Road trade routes a digital makeover
23 July 2020

The digital yuan and China’s potential financial revolution
15 July 2020

Japan’s digital trade benefits to quadruple to US$506 billion by 2030
04 May 2020

Digital trade growth underscores need to evolve trade rules
10 December 2019

India’s digital trade sector to grow 14-fold to US$512 billion by 2030
25 July 2019

Philippines to reap US$37 billion digital trade-enabled benefit by 2030
31 May 2019

Artificial intelligence: How to maximize economic, social, and trade opportunities
27 May 2019

Vietnam’s digital trade deals to spur productivity-driven growth
25 March 2019

Digital trade holds US$5.5 trillion opportunity for China’s economy
21 March 2019

Malaysia digital trade expected to grow nine-fold to US$51.6 billion
20 March 2019

The impact of artificial intelligence on international trade
21 February 2019

Digital trade to grow 18-fold to reach US$172 billion in Indonesia by 2030
12 February 2019