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

The U.S. government has announced that its new economic grouping for the Indo-Pacific will begin with 13 inaugural members, accounting for about 40% of the world's gross domestic product. US President Joe Biden on Monday announced the launch of a new Asia-Pacific trading network during a visit to Japan. The framework, which includes an initial 13 countries, including India and Japan, has been touted as a counterweight to China's aggressive expansion in the region. "The United

China is the world’s second largest economy after the U.S., and it is expected to eventually climb into the number one position in the coming decades. While China’s economy has had a much rockier start this year due to zero-tolerance COVID-19 lockdowns and supply chain issues, our visualization covers a full year of data for 2021⁠—a year in which most economies recovered after the initial chaos of the pandemic. In 2021, China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reached ¥114 trilli

As the pandemic-fueled liquidity begins to wane and the reality of inflation and higher interest rates sets in, many economies will face considerable challenges. Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries are vying to attract global investors and increase Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Yet, capital flows are reversing from emerging to developed markets—specifically in the United States, where interest rates are rising to levels not seen since 2018. The year 2018 is illus

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

A new study by the APEC Policy Support Unit revealed that foreign direct investment provides an important pathway to global value chain participation, showing that participation develops as investments accumulate. “When member economies hold a central position in the foreign direct investment network, they have the tendency to also be hubs in the global value chain trade network,” said Dr Akhmad Bayhaqi, a senior analyst with the APEC Policy Support Unit. “And when economies

Supply chains are important levers for achieving sustainability goals and have gained increased corporate, governmental and civil society attention. This white paper charts regulatory developments in supply chain sustainability, from international guidelines and free trade agreements to national laws and financial disclosure requirements. It draws on interviews to highlight corporate trends and challenges in delivering sustainable supply chains, as well as offering perspectiv

Supplies of goods are coming up short in the pandemic, and prices have jumped. Some economists warn that the changes could linger. For the past three decades, companies and consumers benefited from cross-border connections that kept a steady supply of electronics, clothes, toys and other goods so abundant it helped prices stay low. But as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine continue to weigh on trade and business ties, that period of plenty appears to be undergoing a partial

Higher investment growth was observed in Belt and Road region; health care and life sciences sector in Europe and North America was popular China’s overall outward direct investment (ODI) reached US$145.2 billion in 2021, up 9.2% year-on-year (YOY), whilst non-financial ODI reached US$113.6 billion, up 3.2% YOY. Belt and Road (B&R) non-financial ODI increased 14.1% YOY, which continued to outperform the overall growth rate. The announced value of China overseas mergers and ac

The burgeoning economy of Vietnam is maturing its way into a new phase. The Asian nation of 97.3 million has taken its place among the linchpins of high-tech supply chains, taking in raw materials and churning out mobile phones, tablets, and other computer gear for over a billion middle-class consumers all over the world. In addition, Vietnam is becoming a key part of the alliance of Asian trading powers setting up a counterpoint to the economic poles of the U.S. and European

ASEAN, a regional block of 10 very diverse countries, was created to support economic growth, good governance, and human rights in Southeast Asia. After decades of rapid growth, these 10 countries now face changing global dynamics, internal divisions, and economic uncertainty. This week, the Altamar team of Peter Schechter and Muni Jensen is joined by Niharika Mandhana, the Southeast Asia bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal. She leads a team of correspondents covering po

Wait times for at Shanghai marine terminals has increased nearly 75% since the lockdowns began. Delays at the Shanghai terminal have sent ships to neighboring ports in Ningbo and Yangshan, but those ports are beginning to get congested as well. China has mandated a strict “zero COVID” policy since the onset of the global pandemic, which has led to tight lockdowns across the country whenever cases have started to spike. Recently, lockdown restrictions have been enacted in majo

Countries with trade partners that implemented more stringent lockdowns had a sharper drop in imports. Though trade flows have adjusted, more diversified global value chains could help lessen the impact of future shocks. The demand and supply shocks unleashed by the pandemic were expected to lead to a dramatic collapse in trade, but international commerce has proven more resilient than during previous global crises. While goods trade fell sharply in the second quarter of 2020

Manufacturing hubs in southeast Asia could stand to benefit; Boss of $10tn asset manager warns on inflation as companies reconfigure supply chains Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will reshape the world economy and further drive up inflation by prompting companies to pull back from their global supply chains, BlackRock’s Larry Fink has warned. “The Russian invasion of Ukraine has put an end to the globalisation we have experienced over the last three decades,” Fink wrote in his a

Here are five developments to watch this year that will be critical to debates on making trade more sustainable: new trade initiatives, a global treaty on plastic pollution, the first World Circular Economy Forum in Africa, EU policy proposals, and Stockholm+50, a global environment gathering. Trade accounts for 50% of global GDP, making it a significant economic driver. That means trade – around two-thirds of which is conducted across value chains – plays a big role in shapi

The unprecedented level of sanctions and the possibility of removing Russia’s most favored nation status at the WTO is cutting Russia off from international trade systems. What are the wider ramifications of doing this to a G-20 country for U.S./China trade and globalization in general? We spoke to Nicolas Lamp, the co-author of The Six Faces of Globalization and an expert on the WTO. LAMP: Over the last couple of years, the idea of economic decoupling has been widely discuss

ASEAN members are working on facilitating increased trade, removing trade barriers and reducing transaction costs to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, the top official at Thailand's Department of Trade Negotiations said on March 4 ASEAN members are working on facilitating increased trade, removing trade barriers and reducing transaction costs to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, the top official at Thailand's Department of Trade Negotiations said on March 4. Department director-gen

The essential guide to RCEP for anyone establishing operations in Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand or Vietnam. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement entered into force on 1 January 2022 after almost a decade of negotiations. The agreement brings together Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealan

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

World Economic Forum: Resolving the global supply chain crisis requires collaboration across the trade community. The pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities in the global supply chain. Developing economies have been hardest hit by this disruption. Public-private efforts can help deliver trade facilitation reforms. After two years of a global pandemic, international trade is bruised and battered. The carefully tuned machinery we call the supply chain has become erratic, impactin