By Elizabeth Butscher

The Center on Inclusive Trade and Development (CITD) held its second annual Rethinking World Trade conference on Wednesday, April 3rd. Our first panel, which followed the launch of “Sustainability in International Trade Agreements,” a book co-edited by Georgetown Law Professor Kathleen Claussen, focused on U.S.-China relations in the aftermath of the so-called “China Shock.” This term refers to the roughly 2 million jobs, particularly in manufacturing, lost in the U.S. to trade with China between 1997 and 2011 due (at least in part) to an influx of Chinese imports. Although these figures have been considerably debated, it is undeniable that the U.S.-China trading relationship has had a significant impact on global trade. Our panelists included Professor Henry Gao of Singapore Management University; Huan Zhu, the Vice-President of the China Trade Monitor; Scott Kennedy, Senior Adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; and was moderated by Wendy Cutler of the Asia Society Policy Institute.