Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Asia Under Pressure: Trump’s Economic Policies on Asian Economies | An Online Roundtable

Details
The UP Asian Center will hold the online roundtable "Asia Under Pressure: Trump’s Economic Policies on Asian Economies" on 24 April 2025, 3:00 PM, PHT (GMT+8), online via Zoom. The event is free and open to the public but signing in to a (free) Zoom account is required. 

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ABOUT THE ROUNDTABLE

At the start of his term, newly elected US President Trump fiercely demonstrated his commitment to follow through with the promises he made during his campaign beginning with the crackdown on illegal aliens. With US trade policy identified as an important security interest of his administration, Trump has also begun imposing a ten percent tariff on all imports last 2 April 2025, which he declared as the country’s “Liberation Day.” These measures were said to address trade imbalances and remove bilateral trade deficits ultimately toward American economic independence.
States, international organizations, and experts, however, have expressed concern over these drastic economic maneuvers feared to result to a trade war as well as a global recession. At the onset, the impact of these measures will likely deal a heavy blow to developing and manufacturing economies such as Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bangladesh. Meanwhile, China, touted as the second largest economy in the world and a major US trading partner, was levied sky-high tariffs totaling 125%, the highest among all US trade partners. As a response, China and other states, including Mexico, and Canada, have started pushing back against these measures and implemented countermeasures such as equally high tariffs on US exports.
These measures are expected to have a ripple effect on not only the economies of smaller countries and US trade partners but also on the US domestic economy and the global economy. As such, this webinar aims to shed light on the possible impact of these economic measures to Asia, as a crucial participant in global trade. Specifically, this webinar seeks to address the following questions:
      1. What are the impacts of these economic measures on economies in Asia? How are Asian economies responding to these economic measures?
      2. How can Asian countries manage the effects of these measures and protect their respective economies?
      3. How do these measures reshape free trade and global trade patterns?
      4. Given the volatile security and territorial tensions within the continent, will these measures affect security alliances and the overall configuration of the world and regional order? Why or why not? How?

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

RIZAL SHIDIQ, Ph.D.
University Lecturer, Leiden University Institute for Area Studies
Rizal Shidiq is a University Lecturer at South and Southeast Asian Studies, Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, specialising in the economies of modern Southeast Asia. He is an economist by training with primary fields in development economics and secondary field public choice. His current research topics are on political connections in developing countries, religious intolerance, and carbon trade. 

 

PHAM SY THANH, Ph.D.
Director, Director of China Center for Economic and Strategic Studies (CESS)
Dr. Pham Sy Thanh received his bachelor's degree in Chinese Studies and master's degree in Oriental Studies from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH), Vietnam National University, Hanoi. In 2008, he earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the Institute of Economics, Nankai University, Tianjin, China. Dr. Thanh has been the Director of VEPR’s Chinese Economic Studies Program (VCES) since January 2012. His research interests include Economic Growth Theory and Chinese Economic Growth (since 1949), China-ASEAN Economic Relations, Chinese State-Owned Enterprises Reform (since 1978), Antitrust, New Institutional Economics, Chinese Macroeconomy, etc. Currently, Dr. Pham Sy Thanh is a lecturer of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
PANKAJ VASHISHT, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Coordinator, ASEAN-India Centre (AIC), Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)
Dr. Pankaj Vashisht is an Associate Professor and Coordinator, ASEAN-India Centre (AIC) at Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), a New Delhi-based Think-Tank. Prior to Joining RIS, he was with the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations. He specializes in International trade, Technology, Labour Economics, and Applied Econometrics. He has also conducted research studies for various international organizations such as The World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Elcano Royal Institute, and Indian industry associations such as the Auto Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) and the Society of Indian Auto Manufacturers (SIAM). He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. 
For inquiries, please contact us at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 891-8500 loc. 3586.
The Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The UP Asian Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. It also offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. As an area studies institution, the Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website.