Trade Splaining is back! After a summer break (and one new baby later), Ardi and Rob return to make sense of what’s changed — and what hasn’t — in global trade, business, and expat life. From the latest round of tariffs and China’s “pivot” away from developing-country status at the WTO, to why AI might be the next big trade disruptor, we break down the stories shaping the global economy in 2025.

We’re also joined by Neil Shearing, Chief Economist at Capital Economics and author of The Fractured Age, to unpack how geopolitical rivalries are reshaping globalization — or maybe just rearranging it.

In This Episode:

• 🎵 Why global trade sounds like a Kelly Clarkson song

• 🇨🇳 China’s slowdown vs. export boom — and what Michael Pettis got right

• 💸 Why tariffs haven’t been inflationary (yet)

• 🧠 How AI is quietly rewriting the rules of services trade

• 🌍 Neil Shearing on the U.S.–China split, Europe’s role, and who wins in a fractured world

• 🕰️ Plus: Swiss MAGA farmers, salmon sperm facials as recession indicators, and the new rock-solid watch from Tissot

Keywords: global trade podcast, Trade Splaining, Neil Shearing, The Fractured Age, deglobalization, US-China trade war, WTO 2025, AI and trade, services trade, tariffs inflation, global economy podcast

In Episode 80 of Trade Splaining, we’re pulling back the curtain on everything from secret sausage wars to how Apple helped build modern China. Along the way, we break down the increasingly blurry line between trade policy and geopolitics, why AI is now after your desk job, and how sober tailgates and millennial nostalgia are the new macro indicators.

Special Guest: Patrick McGee, FT journalist and author of Apple in China, joins us to explain:

• Why Apple didn’t just outsource manufacturing to China—it helped build it

• How a $55B investment strategy turned into a Marshall Plan for advanced manufacturing

• Why decoupling is harder than we think, and what it means for the future of globalization

Also in this episode:

• Is trade policy dead—or just dressed up as national security?

• The AI job shock: not just repetitive tasks, but white-collar jobs too

• A big new EU–Switzerland trade deal (and an even bigger name: “The Bilaterals”)

• Listener feedback, airline mysteries, stolen sausage secrets, and the return of All-American Rejects

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows.

Description: In Episode 79 of Trade Splaining, Rob and Ardian dive deep into the surprising relevance of decarbonizing global shipping, why GDP might not be the best metric anymore, and how the EU and UK are slowly making Brexit... not a thing. We also ask: is multilateralism really dead—or just resting?

💡 What You'll Hear in This Episode:

• Circular Reasoning (with actual logic): Guest Eva-Maria Bille of the European Environmental Bureau unpacks why circular economy policies matter more than ever—especially in a world of inflation, geopolitics, and defense budgets.

• Shipping News That Doesn’t Suck: The IMO’s historic (kind of) net-zero deal for shipping by 2050, what it means, and why it’s both hopeful and half-baked.

• Sell America? Moody’s downgrades the US credit rating, tourism is slowing, and Americans are quietly flocking to Swiss banks. Coincidence? We think not.

• GDP Is Over Party: A new push to rethink how we measure economic health. Is it time to dump GDP in favor of balance sheet metrics?

• Brexit: The Silent Patch-Up: A new EU-UK trade deal smooths post-Brexit trade pain. Is it a quiet realignment or political heresy?

• Swiss Wool Emergency & War Readiness: From Geneva’s updated war brochure to a growing sheep wool crisis, it’s your must-hear Swiss WTFs.

🔁 Also Featuring:

• Listener shoutouts to "Eric" and Ron "Burgundy"

• Michelle’s "Vibe Shift" report: Enron eggs, TikTok satire, and the birds that were never real

• A kebab-off between Geneva and Beirut

• A surprisingly accurate Bond reference and sheep-related crisis management

📬 Subscribe, review, share—and email us your feedback or best kebab takes at TSpotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.