Asian Trade Flows: Major Shifts and New Dynamics

According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), trade volume growth in 2017 was the strongest since 2011.  Asia was at the centre of this expansion, with the fastest trade volume growth of any region in both exports and imports. WTO has forecasted that trade will sustain its growth momentum in 2018. However, escalating trade tensions and growing protectionism are threatening to undermine business confidence and investment decisions.

Will the positive momentum continue?  What are the main drivers of future trade growth and how much of it will be due to Asian trade? What are the prospects for closer integration and connectivity within Asian economies exerting a positive influence on trade volumes?

The expert speakers in this roundtable, held in partnership with Standard Chartered, will seek to answer the questions above, and examine the policy choices that are needed to underpin robust global economic growth and how businesses should tap into these opportunities in Asia.

Speakers include:

Simon Cooper, Chief Executive, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking, Standard Chartered Bank

Simon joined Standard Chartered as CEO, Corporate & Institutional Banking in April 2016 and assumed the additional responsibility for Commercial Banking in March 2018. He was previously group managing director and chief executive of Global Commercial Banking at HSBC, and has extensive experience across Standard Chartered’s markets and client segments. Simon joined HSBC in 1989 and held a number of senior roles there, including deputy chairman and chief executive officer, Middle East and North Africa; chief executive officer, Korea; and head of Corporate and Investment Banking, Singapore.

John Alty, Director General of Trade Policy in the Department for International Trade

John has been Director General of Trade Policy in the Department for International Trade (DIT) since July 2016. From 2010 to 2016, he was CEO of the UK’s Intellectual Property Office, an Agency of the Business Department, and was involved in extensive international engagements both within and outside Europe, including agreements and joint work with counterparts on intellectual property. Prior to that, he was Director General in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, responsible for trade and EU policy, together with competition, corporate governance and labour markets, including during the period of negotiations on the Doha Development Round.

Dr Lorand Bartels, External Senior Counsel, Linklaters

Lorand was appointed External Senior Counsel within Linklaters’ international trade law practice in January 2017. Lorand has 20 years’ experience in the field of international trade, both as an academic and practitioner, having advised governments, international organisations and private clients on trade negotiations and WTO law. He is Reader in International Law in the Faculty of Law and a Fellow of Trinity Hall at the University of Cambridge, and a specialist advisor to the House of Commons Select Committee on International Trade. He has also acted as an expert consultant on international law and EU law to a number of other countries, NGOs and international organisations.

Giammario Impullitti, Associate Professor, School of Economics, University of Nottingham

Giammario has been an Associate Professor in the School of Economics at the University of Nottingham since September 2013. His fields of specialisation include International Trade, Macroeconomics and Economic Growth. His research focuses on two major lines: first, the effects of globalisation on growth and on labour market outcomes; and second, the role of innovation policy in promoting growth and development. He has published in top field international journals.

This is an invitation only event. To register interest, or for more information, please contact Joshua Lay, Business and Policy Researcher: Joshua.Lay@asiahouse.co.uk

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