On 14 May, 2025, the Friends of Multilateralism Group (FMG) organized a webinar on on the Implications of Trade Tensions for the Global Economy. Robert Koopman, FMG Member and former Chief Economist of the World Trade Organization moderated the meeting.

 

At the meeting, Barbara D’Andrea Adrian, Chief of the International Trade Statistics Section within the WTO’s Economic Research and Statistics Division; Michele Ruta, Deputy Chief in the Strategy and Policy Review Department of the IMF; Simon Evenett, FMG member, Professor of International Trade and Economic Development at the University of St. Gallen and founder of the Global Trade Alert shared their insights on the recent trade tensions and their implications for the global economy, and then the participants had a discussion.

 

This meeting is based on below reports:

  1. WTO Global Trade Outlook and Statistics reportby WTO
  2. World Economic Outlookby IMF
  3. Is a wave of Chinese products coming your way? Identifying potential Chinese exportRedirection in 2024 U.S. trade data by Simon Evenett
  4. Redirecting chinese exports from the USA: Evidence on trade deflection from the firstS.-China trade war by Simon Evenett

 

Over 60 participants joined the session, including members of FMG, Ambassadors/DPRs of WTO members, representatives from related international organizations, and experts from renowned think tanks and universities etc.

 

Watch this session via YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbSm3KCKoYM

 

Anenx 1: Programme

15:00-15:02 Opening Remarks

Speaker: Xiankun Lu (FMG)

15:02-15:05 Introduction

Speaker: Robert Koopman (FMG)

15:05-15:45 Presentations

Moderator: Robert Koopman (FMG)

15:05-15:20 Speaker: Barbara D’Andrea Adrian (WTO)

15:20-15:35 Speaker: Michele Ruta(IMF)

15:35-15:45 Speaker: Simon Evenett(FMG)

15:45- 16:30 Discussions

Moderator: Robert Koopman (FMG)

 

Annex 2: List of participants

 

FMG/FFMG

Xiankun Lu (FMG)

Robert Koopman (FMG)

Simon Evenett (FMG)

Rajesh Aggarwal (FMG)

Willy Alfaro (FMG)

Hilda AI-Hlnai (FMG)

Clemens Boonekamp (FMG)

Jonathan Fried (FMG)

Stuart Harbinson (FMG)

Bernard Hoekman (FMG)

Jennifer Hillman (FMG)

Alejandro Jara (FMG)

Wenhua Ji (FMG)

Masamichi Kono (FMG)

Jesse Kreier (FMG)

Patrick Low (FMG)

Cecilia Malmstrom (FMG)

Hamid Mamdouh (FMG)

Mario Matus (FMG)

Petros C. Mavroidis (FMG)

Hamish  McCormick (FMG)

Brad McDonald (FMG)

Mia Mikic (FMG)

Rosine Plank (FMG)

Mohammad Saeed (FMG)

Sherry Stephenson (FMG)

Hector Torres (FMG)

Alan Wolff (FMG)

 

WTO Missions

Netherlands: Audrey Goosen, Ambassador

France: Emmanuelle Ivanov-Durand, Ambassador

Sweden: Nina Tornberg, Ambassador

Thailand: Pimchanok Pitfield, Ambassador

Russia: Tatina Tsukanova, DPR

Türkiye: Aykut Renda, DPR

Latvia: Renars Danelsons, DPR

Slovenia: Špela Kučan, DPR

EU: Hiddo Houben, DPR

Nepal: Durga Bhusal, Counsellor

Cambodia:Kong Sokheng, Counsellor

EU: Martin Gajda, Counsellor

EU: Zampetti Americo, Minister Counsellor

Brazil: José Antonio Cury Gonçalves Braga, Ministre-Conseiller

Czech: Martin Tocik, Counsellor

Colombia: Gustavo Guarin, Counsellor

Bangladesh: Md Selim Hossen, Commercial Counsellor

Myanmar: Zarni Myint Swe, Counsellor

Ghana: Maxwell Apenkro, Minister Counsellor

Netherlands: Robert Van Dijk, Deputy Head Of The Economic And Development Division

Italy: Tiziana Zugliano, Trade Attaché

Italy: Tiziana Zugliano, Trade Attachè

Cambodia: Nen Chansamuth, Commercial Attache

Singapore: Peter Drage, Research Officer

Albania: Artan Fida, First Secretary

Brunei: Chee Leong Chan, First Secretary

Egypt: Reem Eldahshan, First Secretary

 

Think Tanks

William Reinsch, CSIS

 

International Organizations

Barbara D’Andrea Adrian, WTO

Michele Ruta, IMF

Johanna Hill, DDG, WTO

Tianchen Cao, Economic Affairs Officer, WTO

Hang Tran, Counselor , WTO

Bright Okogu, Chief of Staff, WTO

 

Universities

Peter Van den Bossche, World Trade Institute

Robert Wolfe, Queen’s University

Carlos Primo Braga, Fundação Dom Cabral

 

Others

Wayne McCook, Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM