The Seminar on International Trade and National Security, which is part of a series of academic events commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, was held in Hangzhou on October 10. Jointly hosted by the University of International Business and Economics and Zhejiang Gongshang University, the conference aimed to identify emerging trends in the international situation and promote research and exchanges on international trade and national security. Among the speakers were China Forum Secretary General Zhang Lirong as well as Experts Gong Jiong and Huang Jing.

In his speech, Zhang Lirong took stock of how the developments in international relations, great power competition and industrial growth have affected international trade cooperation, and said that geopolitical, ideological and pan-securitization factors are causing increasingly significant disruptions in global economic cooperation. Gong Jiong, vice president for research at UIBE Israel, explored how trade has been influenced by international relations, including national security, geopolitics, ideologies, and economic sovereignty. Huang Jing, professor at the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies, discussed the impacts of exchange rates, commodity prices and market expectations on international trade from a geopolitical perspective. He also shared positive visions regarding the development of international trade and China’s economy.