On this week’s episode of WITA’s Friday Exchange, our trade insiders discussed the Trump administration’s new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran and its implications for global trade, energy markets, and supply chains. They also examined the future of the Strait of Hormuz, including how provisions that could give Iran a larger role in the waterway’s management may affect maritime governance, regional security dynamics, and discussions surrounding the 24 global maritime chokepoints.
They also explored the fragile U.S.-China trade truce, growing European concerns over Chinese over-capacity and subsidies, and the prospects for greater transatlantic coordination on China-related trade challenges. Finally, the group debated whether the administration’s expected Section 301 tariffs on forced labor and excess capacity are targeted efforts to address Chinese economic practices or a strategy to expand tariffs on trading partners around the world.
Featured Speakers:
Introduction: Kenneth Levinson, CEO, WITA – The International Trade Association
Wendy Cutler, Senior Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute; former Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative
Ed Gresser, Vice President & Director for Trade & Global Markets, Progressive Policy Institute; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy and Economics - author of the Trade Fact of the Week
Dawn Shackleford, President at Looking Glass Trade, LLC; former Executive Director for Trade Agreements Policy & Negotiations, Department of Commerce; former Assistant USTR for WTO & Multilateral Affairs
Moderator: Michael Smart, Managing Director, Rock Creek Global Advisors; former Director for International Trade and Investment, National Security Council, The White House; former Trade Counsel, Democratic Staff, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance
