US Trade Chief Tai Says World Can’t Return to 2019 Trading System

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai addresses the Geneva Graduate Institute on the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the global economy and U.S. policy priorities ahead of the 12th Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Switzerland on Oct. 14, 2021. Denis Balibouse/Reuters

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said on Thursday that global trade policymakers should not try to recreate the pre-pandemic trading system but build one that is more resilient, sustainable, and supportive of higher living standards.

Speaking in a virtual panel of the World Economic Forum, Tai cautioned against a backward-looking “return to normalcy” after two years of COVID-19-induced disruptions.