Whitney Baird hosts fireside chat with WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

USCIB engages with US policymakers and international institutions to promote trade liberalization, cementing US competitiveness in the global marketplace and catalyzing economic prosperity and peace. As countries retreat from globalization, tariff volatility, geopolitical tensions, and frequent policy changes create market uncertainty and volatility. USCIB member companies rely on a rules-based trading system and open markets for growth as ninety six percent of global consumers reside outside the United States.

What’s at Stake for US Business

  • The joint review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will reassess tri-lateralism and market integration in North America, with gold standard provisions, as well as potential new areas for cooperation.
  • National security tensions have facilitated opportunities for supply chain diversification with like-minded allies in critical sectors including energy, critical minerals, and infrastructure. More trade and regional diversification, not less, increases the capacity for US companies to cushion shocks and sustain domestic operations.
  • AI is rapidly transforming every sector of the economy, highlighting the need for strong digital trade infrastructure, intellectual property protections, and global cooperation.
  • Efforts to reform the World Trade Organization (WTO) look to preserve the rules-based trading system and predictable and cohesive commercial rules, while also providing a formal role for business and reforming the consensus process.

USCIB Actions

Alice Slayton Clark speaks on the What’s Next for North American Manufacturing panel.

  • Advocate for trade and investment agreements that promote open markets, cross-border regulatory coherence, safeguard US foreign investments, and help investors obtain fair treatment. Oppose policies that restrict the free flow of goods, and onshore and/or localize production.
  • Provide member-driven recommendations to policymakers on ways to use tariffs to advance national economic security interests while also ameliorating their impacts on US manufacturers, workers, and consumers.
  • Attend key WTO forums to promote a global rules-based trading system led by the WTO that is fit for the 21st century, reforming monitoring, negotiation, and enforcement mechanisms.
  • Participate in global fora, such as the OECD and WTO, to confront discriminatory action against US goods and services, unfair foreign trade practices, and denial of market access.
  • Press the United States to hold trading partners accountable for their trade commitments, including the Agreements on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).

China Subcommittee: USCIB addresses China’s trade-restrictive practices – including forced technology transfers, digital and cloud market access prohibitions, and inadequate IP protections – by ensuring policymakers implement narrowly targeted and transparent economic security policies.

Resources

Chair

Sarah Schradin
VP Government Affairs
Chubb

Staff

Alice Slayton Clark
Senior Vice President for Trade, Investment, and Digital
asclark@uscib.org

Natalie Bidner-Swehla
Director, International Agriculture
nbidner@uscib.org

Prinaka Suresh
Administrative Assistant, Policy
psuresh@uscib.org

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