The case for free trade has always been a tough sell. While trade is an economic endeavor, trade policy is the product of politics, where perceptions often matter more than facts. Domestic politics, national security concerns, and geopolitics conspire against the economics and the prospects for resuscitating multilateralism. The world remains deeply connected on trade despite political turbulence across continents. Trade as a share of global value grew by 23%, from 46.8% in 2

The latest trade insights from John W Miller, Chief Economic Analyst, Trade Data Monitor; Chinese exports recovered in May, boosted by a tapering off of antivirus restrictions and higher prices in the U.S. and Europe. Overall, Chinese exports rose 16.9% year-on-year to $308.3 billion, after increasing only 3.9% in April. Monthly imports increased 4.1% to $229.5 billion, over the 0.0% figure for April. The performance beat analysts’ expectations for May. With the Covid restric

Since the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership entered into force in Jan 2022, its impacts are largely unknown. This report brings together the insights from 20 experts across 10 different Asia-Pacific countries analyzing how RCEP will change the economic and political landscape in the 21st century. Accounting for nearly a third of the world’s population and almost 30% of global GDP, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), entered into force on January

The U.S. economy grew 5.7% in 2021, the fastest pace since 1984, bouncing back from the economic downturn created by the pandemic. But as supply chain issues reared their head and international restrictions came in and out of play, how did the country’s trade situation shape up? America’s trade deficit of goods shot up to a whopping record $1.1 trillion in 2021 from $922 billion in 2020, leading to its largest ever deficit. Imports dwarfed exports, reaching new highs of $2.9

The drop in Shanghai's port productivity, which is driven by to the lack of people working due to Covid lockdowns, can be seen in the container wait time at the port, according to CNBC's new Supply Chain Heat Map. "In Shanghai, ocean terminals, warehouses, and trucking services are operating as normal but with lower efficiency due to staff shortages and lack of drivers," said Brian Bourke, chief growth officer of SEKO Logistics. CNBC's Supply Chain Heat Map is a new data tool

By John W Miller, Chief Economic Analyst, Trade Data Monitor; The global economy avoided a meltdown 2020-2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic because governments around the world, led by the U.S., printed trillions of dollars for their own citizens, oiling consumer demand and goosing merchandise trade around the world. That steroid is now wearing off, as consumers have spent most of the money they were given, and because their spending fueled inflation, making it harder to buy a

Latest Trade Data from our partners Trade Data Monitor, John W Miller, Chief Economist: China reduced imports year-on-year in March as the global economy stuttered following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Overall, China shrank imports by 0.1% to $228.7 billion. Accounting for the nasty price inflation now starting to bite, that represents a meaningful contraction. To boot, analysts had predicted an increase of around 8%. It’s part of a

Annually KW Group support over 100+ businesses & government entities with inbound and outbound APAC FDI, trade, market access & tradetech projects on a full-time & project basis. "By 2030 65% of the world's middle-class consumers will be found in Asia. It is forecast that ASEAN will become the world’s fourth-largest economy with a USD 4 trillion consumer market." Established 2010 we work with regulators, donors, governments & businesses to support Asia trade & investment, FDI

International trade was equal to 65% of Ukraine’s GDP in 2020, totaling to $102.9 billion of goods exchanged with countries around the world. In 2014, Russia’s annexation of Crimea contributed to a 30% year-over-year drop in Ukraine’s 2015 trade value ($75.6B). Now, Ukraine’s international trade has been irreversibly disrupted since Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24th, 2022. The current conflict continues to reshape geopolitical relations and international trade—and

As China’s cost base has risen and it looks to move up the value chain, an opportunity will arise for some Southeast Asian economies to replace China – a trend accelerated by the trade war and geopolitical tensions. However, breaking the dependency on China will involve a far higher degree of vertical integration and intra-ASEAN connectivity. There are few parts of the world that have a stronger interest in protecting and deepening the rules-based multilateral trading system

KW Group: Asia FDI, Trade & Market Access have been honored to support OCO Global on this project to develop a new trade and investment strategy with Investment Fiji led by Kamal Chetty as they evolve to become an IPA. Working alongside the team at Market Development Facility (MDF) Fiji, OCO colleagues Joe Phillips Danilo Batinga Noha Aldhahri Palladium: Make It Possible Fijian Government Andrew Keable "Meet our International Consultants | OCO Global Investment Fiji, in partn

UNCTAD’s Global Trade Update published on 17 February shows that in 2021, world trade in goods remained strong and trade in services finally returned to its pre-COVID-19 levels. All major trading economies saw imports and exports rise above pre-pandemic levels in the fourth quarter of 2021, with trade in goods increasing more strongly in the developing world than in developed countries. “Overall, the value of global trade reached a record level of $28.5 trillion in 2021,” the

Encouraging news from UNESCAP as we head in to 2022 - Foreign Direct Investment Trends and Outlook in Asia and the Pacific 2021/2022 HEADLINES • The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the collapse of global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows, which fell 42 per cent from US$1.5 trillion in 2019 to an estimated U$$859 billion in 2020. The most recent data for 2021, however, suggests global FDI flows have already started to rebound, having reached US$852 billion in the fir

As if the foot soldiers of global trade needed more complications this holiday season, many logistics managers and customs brokers are starting to brace for a mini Y2K moment come Jan. 1. That’s when changes will take effect to the official nomenclature for hundreds of product groups used to classify imports and exports. So-called Harmonized System numbers — known as HS codes — exist on more than 5,000 product categories developed by the World Customs Organization, an intergo

Bottlenecks at U.S. ports have raised the alarm about supply chains, but the manufacture and shipping of essential goods from the U.S.’s biggest supplier of goods are operating smoothly, suggesting that supply chain troubles are easing, according to an analysis by Trade Data Monitor, the world’s top source of trade statistics. Exports from China, by far the U.S.’s top supplier of goods for U.S. consumers, increased 27.1% to $300.2 billion in October. Shipments to the U.S. lea

Digital industries, and a comeback of oil and gas, push the fDi Index to 22-month high Global foreign direct investment (FDI) announcements reached their highest level for more than a year in September, as companies serving growing demand for connectivity and technology outlined major expansion plans, while oil and gas investment also made a comeback as energy shortages reveal the need of new capital expenditure (capex) across the energy matrix. The fDi Index, which tracks fo

Trusted Partner of Regulators, Governments, Associations & Enterprise CREDENTIALS 2022 Established in 2010, KW Group Consulting & Events support Asia FDI, Trade Development, Exports & Market Access. We work with regulators, government's and businesses on Asia market access, FDI, trade, policy, export & market intelligence as well as supporting institutional development & alliances in heavily regulated sectors. We have extensive government networks to support investment strate

The final completion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has moved one step closer after six ASEAN countries submitted their approval letter for the RCEP on October 28, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister of Thailand, Jurin Laksanawisit, said on Monday. Experts said that the latest significant move indicates the final completion of the RCEP could come into effect in January 2022, as scheduled. While the possibilities for the US attempts to di

Four economy-wide factors—governance, education, infrastructure, and trade policy—relate closely to more varied and complex exports across countries As the world’s biggest copper producer, Chile’s shipments of the metal meet around one-third of global demand and represent about half its goods exports. But beyond mining’s dominance, Chile’s trade flows are more varied and complex than they may appear, with significant exports of vehicles, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications

In the ongoing disruption of the global economy, Vietnam is emerging as a clear winner. Its economy is expected to grow by 4.8% of GDP in 2021, according to the World Bank. To be sure, the Covid-19 pandemic has hit Vietnam this summer, after the country was largely successful at curtailing the virus in 2020. That will hurt the country’s second half of 2021, but long-term trends still support Vietnam establishing itself as a major economic power. Crucial to its rise are powerf