GLOBE Webinar: Kristen Hopewell - Clash of Powers: US China Rivalry in Global Trade Governance

Kristen Hopewell (University of British Columbia) joined the GLOBE Webinar Series to discuss her book "Clash of Powers: US-China Rivalry in Global Trade Governance" (Cambridge, 2020). Jappe Eckhardt (University of York) offered some reflections before an audience Q&A. About the book: The US-China trade war instigated by President Trump has thrown the multilateral trading system into a crisis. Drawing on vast interview and documentary materials, Hopewell shows how US-China conflict had already paralyzed the system of international rules and institutions governing trade. The China Paradox – the fact that China is both a developing country and an economic powerhouse – creates significant challenges for global trade governance and rule-making. While China demands exemptions from global trade disciplines as a developing country, the US refuses to extend special treatment to its rival. The implications of this conflict extend far beyond trade, impeding pro-development and pro-environment reforms of the global trading system. As one of the first analyses of the implications of US-China rivalry for the governance of global trade, this book is crucial to our understanding of China's impact on the global trading system and on the liberal international economic order. About the author: Kristen Hopewell is Canada Research Chair in Global Policy in the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia. Her research specializes in international trade, global governance, industrial policy and development, with a focus on emerging powers. She is a Wilson China Fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC. Discussant: Jappe Eckhardt Moderator: Kari Otteburn