WITA's Friday Exchange

Ep. 48 - The Strait Ahead to a Fragile Truce: Iran, China, Europe and the Coming 301s

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

Ep. 47 – The Three B's: Trade Defense, Overcapacity, and Global Tensions

This week’s episode is a “travel log” edition as our panel returns fresh off trips to Beijing, Brussels, and Berlin. The discussion explores rising concerns over China’s industrial overcapacity, the expanding use of trade defense tools like Section 301, and the legal and policy timelines shaping upcoming U.S. tariff actions.In Europe, policymakers are balancing stability under recent trade arrangements with growing pressure to adopt stronger responses to China, while also managing tensions in their relationship with the United States. In China, officials continue to emphasize “comprehensive strategic stabilization” following recent diplomatic engagement, even as trade imbalances and export growth remain central concerns.The panel also examines emerging alignment between the U.S. and Europe on trade enforcement tools, alongside political and rhetorical friction that complicates cooperation. Finally, they discuss uncertainty around USMCA and the likelihood of renewed negotiation pressure rather than formal withdrawal. 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 Daniel Mullaney, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East Stephen Vaughn, Partner, International Trade, King & Spalding LLP; former General Counsel, Office of the United States Trade Representative under first Trump Administration Kellie Meiman Hock, Senior Counselor, McLarty Associates; Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University; Board Member, Inter-American Dialogue; former Director of Brazil and the Southern Cone, Office of the United States Trade Representative

Ep. 46: Tariff  & Trade Deja Vu: The New Tariff Regime that’s Coming Seems A Lot Like the Old One

On this week's episode of WITA's Friday Exchange, our trade insiders debate the the administration's Section 301 announcements on forced labor and the coming announcements on over capacity; and whether the Section 301 investigations and expected tariffs are a legitimate and durable trade policy tool or simply a pretext to recreate the IEEPA tariffs and extract leverage from trading partners. They also discussed  the future of USMCA, and negotiations with Canada and Mexico to extend the agreement. And lurking behind everything: China. Featured Speakers: Introduction: Kenneth Levinson, CEO, WITA - The International Trade Association 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 Chris Padilla, Senior Advisor, Brunswick Group; former Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Kelly Ann Shaw, Partner, Akin; former Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs & Deputy Director, National Economic Council Moderator: Mike 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

Ep. 45: 10th Avenue (Trade) Freeze Out: The U.S. EU, India, and China Learning to Embrace the Chaos.

In this week's episode, the OG trade insiders dive into the developing new trade world paradigm; Secretary Rubio's visit to India; the EU moving forward to implement the Turnberry agreement with the U.S., and confronting their own China contradictions.  Our former negotiators also talk about tariff uncertainty over the impending 301 tariffs (a feature, not a bug?), and what these new developments mean for the future of international trade cooperation and confrontation.Featured Speakers:Introduction: Kenneth Levinson, CEO, WITA - The International Trade AssociationWendy Cutler, Senior Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute; former Acting Deputy U.S. Trade RepresentativeMark Linscott, Senior Advisor, The Asia Group; Senior Advisor, U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for WTO and Multilateral Affairs, Office of the U.S. Trade RepresentativeDan Mullaney, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East, Office of the U.S. Trade RepresentativeModerator: Joe Damond, Non-resident Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Southeast Asia program; former Deputy Assistant USTR for Asia

Ep. 44: Walking the Tightrope: China Summit Fallout, a Board of Trade, and What’s “Sensitive”?

Following the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, trade officials are still searching for substance beneath the strategic ambiguity. This week, our panel unpacked what the proposed “Board of Trade” with China could actually mean. Does it signal genuine cooperation, managed trade, or simply another mechanism for managing the US-China relationship? While both sides appear willing to keep talking, panelists questioned whether any meaningful tariff reductions or concrete deliverables are realistically on the horizon. The discussion also explored the growing tension between economic security, industrial policy, and geopolitical competition. Panelists debated how new Section 301 and 232 actions against China fit alongside efforts to carve out “non-sensitive” areas for cooperation, while allies and trading partners from Southeast Asia to Europe navigate the fallout from shifting U.S.-China trade dynamics. Featured Speakers: Introduction: Kenneth Levinson, CEO, WITA – The International Trade Association 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 Kellie Meiman Hock, Senior Counselor, McLarty Associates; Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University; Board Member, Inter-American Dialogue; former Director of Brazil and the Southern Cone, Office of the United States Trade Representative Sara Schuman, Managing Director and International Trade Practice Lead, Beacon Global Strategies; She was the Senior Trade Representative for China at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and also served as the Minister Counselor for Trade Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing during the first Trump and Biden Administrations. Moderator: Joe Damond, Non-resident Senior Associate at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in their Southeast Asia program; former Deputy Assistant USTR for Asia