2025.07.23

• China

Can China Become a Defender of Free Trade?(Geoeconomic Briefing)

Since the inauguration of the second Trump administration, there has been growing debate about the destabilization of the international order. The United States, in its effort to eliminate trade deficits and revive domestic manufacturing, has imposed steep tariffs on various countries—seemingly abandoning free trade altogether. It has also announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and from the World Health Organization (WHO), signaling a broader retreat from the multilateral system. These actions make it appear that the U.S. no longer prioritizes the very values it once championed, such as free trade and the rule of law.Hotaka Machida