Heine Interviewed on Changing Trends in Globalization
In an article interview with CGTN: America, Jorge Heine, Research Professor at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and Interim Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, explained the changing nature of globalization amidst rising tensions between the United States and China.
Heine first discussed the United States’ evolving stance on trade, examining the shift from embracing free trade to championing ‘fair trade.’ As a result, the United States has shifted to a more protectionist stance, erecting barriers to trade like tariffs and exclusionary agreements. Other countries in the Global North have followed suit, like the United Kingdom’s Brexit decision in 2016. On the other side of the world, Heine argues that free trade has been enjoying explosive growth in Asia, citing the success of free trade agreements like the CPTPP and RCEP.
Heine also commented on the Global South’s involvement in free trade and their eagerness to capitalize on the gains of globalization, even though it means that globalization may fracture along geopolitical lines. Heine explored the self-imposed challenges to the American hegemony in trade, explaining that while the United States is refusing to participate in free trade, China is able and willing to engage in trade with everyone. As a result, countries like Ecuador and Uruguay are negotiating trade agreements with China over the United States and representing the newest era in global trade relations.
Watch the full interview here.
Ambassador Jorge Heine is a Research Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He has served as ambassador of Chile to China (2014-2017), to India (2003-2007), and to South Africa (1994-1999), and as a Cabinet Minister in the Chilean Government. Read more about Ambassador Heine on his Pardee School faculty profile.