header background

Trade

The links between trade and health extend back to the earliest human settlements, but globalization has brought these spheres together as never before. This section examines the issues that have led to an even closer intersection between trade and health, asks how they impact the poor, and explores the tensions that arise between the goals of protecting and promoting health and generating wealth through trade.

Trade

29.3%

Goods and services exports as share of global GDP

Goods and services exports as share of global GDP Goods and services exports as share of global GDP

48%

Developing country share of global trade, 2014

Developing country share of global trade, 2014 Developing country share of global trade, 2014

50

Preferential trade agreements, in 1990

Preferential trade agreements, in 1990 Preferential trade agreements, in 1990

301

Preferential trade agreements in 2019

Preferential trade agreements in 2019 Preferential trade agreements in 2019

1995

Founding of World Trade Organization (WTO)

Founding of World Trade Organization (WTO) Founding of World Trade Organization (WTO)

Featured

Trade
Nepalese police officers and other officials walking inside the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu after Nepal confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the country on January 28, 2020. The picture shows three officers in full uniforms and two officials wearing suits walking toward the camera down a long air terminal corridor with windows on both sides. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar.

Coronavirus and the Cruel Cost of Closing Borders
by Deepa Jahagirdar - January 28, 2020

Travel bans rarely prevent disease spread, but they have negative consequences—and may violate international health law

Trade
Chinese men work at a brick production plant in Xian, northwest of China's Shaanxi province on April 27, 2005. The photo shows a man pulling bricks off a stack where they were presumably kiln fired and placing them into a stack in the foreground. the overall color of the photo is brick red, suggesting that the dust is everywhere.

Tackling Occupational Diseases in China

by Yanzhong Huang

With 200 million or more workers exposed to unsafe conditions, holding employers accountable remains a daunting task

Trade
People waiting at Fatmawati hospital in Jakarta on May 17, 2013, after Indonesia announced plans to implement nationwide health care, with the aim to covering all Indonesians by the end of the decade. The picture shows a crowded waiting room with a man in the foreground with a red cloth draped over his head and holding what appears to be a bag of ice against his cheek. He looks like he is suffering. REUTERS/Beawiharta.

The March of Private Health Care in Southeast Asia

by Swee Kheng Khor

How can a government achieve universal coverage for all citizens in a landscape where private care is deeply entrenched?

Latest

Trade
Masks are seen on a production line manufacturing masks at a factory in Shanghai, China January 31, 2020. New York City alone could face a shortage of millions of masks in the coming months. The image shows a human hand with two bright orange bandaids on the thumb and middle finger picking its way across a huge pile of masks. REUTERS/Aly Song

A Truce in the Trade War Will Save American Lives

by Susan Shirk, Yanzhong Huang

Immediately lifting all tariffs on personal protection equipment will enable doctors and nurses to safely do their work

Container ship RDO Concord sails through the Suez Canal on November 17, 2019. The picture places the viewer in the wake of a massive freighter stacked high with metal shipping containers as a smaller patrol-type boat passes in the foreground. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Trade

Six Proactive Steps in a Smart Trade Approach to Fighting COVID-19

by Jennifer A. Hillman

Tariffs, subsidies, waivers, licensure, and what a trade agenda to support the fight against coronavirus might look like

Soldiers guard the Ecuadoran side of a border with Colombia in Tufino, Ecuador on March 15, 2020, after country leaders announced the closure of its borders to all foreign travelers due to COVID-19. The photo shows a simple border crossing through a small town with a big sign reading "Ecuador" above the street. The crossing is closed with metal barricades, and a soldier stands out front. REUTERS/Daniel Tapia
Trade

Coronavirus in Latin America

by Carlos Javier Regazzoni

How will the region cope with COVID-19 pressure on health care systems, weak economies, and unstable politics