Trade Promotion has advanced technologically. WhatsApp, Alibaba, M-Pesa and M-Kopa, Amazon, e-Bay, Walmart are transforming the ways in which global  trade is conducted. Technological change has not improved the essentially mercantilist system of trade however. Meaning? Alibaba, M-Kopa and M-Pesa are used to sell products made in China to Kenya, for example. How many Kenya-made products does the Chinese consumer buy on Alibaba? This point is important for many reasons. The reduction in global poverty during the last 10 years was mainly due to Chinese economic growth. The future reduction in abject poverty will be due to Indian, Brazilian, Indonesian, African economic growth. If technological advances are used to promote products, services and investment on a one-way street, we'll never get where we need to go. Financing is critical of course and I can lecture and write on financial subjects all day long, and will. I thought I'd start with national economic promotion. 

 

In order to lift everyone out of poverty, in order to raise all ships, trade promotion must be a two-way, a bilateral or multilateral street.