28 August 2019 – As trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies continue to escalate, the Makati Business Club and the Philippines-U.S. Business Council hosted Kellie Meiman Hock, Managing Partner at Washington, DC-based McLarty Associates, as a guest speaker for a roundtable discussion on the ongoing US-China Trade War.
Hock’s discussion revolved around managing the uncertainty of trade policy in the Trump era. Highlighting the implications of Trump’s existing China policies, Hock believes that it is essential to analyze how other countries could position themselves amidst the current trade conflicts, with some countries taking the lead in trade liberalization. Hock noted present non-US trade agreements and bilateral talks as key areas to watch. Throughout the meeting, engaging insights on shifting concerns over China into a multilateral sphere were shared between Hock and the guests.
Ms. Hock is a trade policy expert with a focus on China and broader international agreements, such as the renegotiation of U.S. trade agreements with North America and Korea. McLarty Associates is an adviser on diplomacy and trade. McLarty Vice Chairman John Negroponte and Senior Director Thomas Hubbard, both former US ambassadors to the Philippines, are the leaders of the US-Philippines Business Society, the partner of the Philippines-US Business Council.