How can global trade enhance cooperation, growth and trust – and peace
Often the idea that mutual benefits arising from trade encourages peaceful relations between nations to Enlightenment thinkers in the eighteenth century, in an appropriate manner on both sides of the channel, but nearly two thousand years ago, Plutch wrote that the sea trade allowed countries to “raise defects” in their relations through mutual exchange.
“Doux Commerce” (meaning sweet or gentle trade) envelops this idea and includes more benefits that include enhancing confidence, integrity, tolerance and fairness. It is a lot through it to play the theory, and in its modern appearance as a globalization, there are critics who indicate that it can create more inequality and exploitation.
But globalization is not new; Among the ancient silk methods through the industrial revolution, trade has expanded by establishing shorter and faster roads, and constantly technologies to transport goods along those roads.
Today, cargo charging all over the world was never more competitive, which means that the companies that depend on them mean better service, lower costs, and more options.
Backed by a large number of inventions, innovations and ideas, the global ecosystem for global trade today is wide, complex and very competitive.
However, it is driven by seeking to meet one and simple need; Someone, somewhere, wants to buy something from another person, elsewhere.
Achieving this quickly, in effect, in a safe way, is what drives this global ecosystem. It is behind explosive growth in e -commerce and supply chains that support almost all manufacturing operations in the world.
Therefore, when trade is disrupted, through human -making interventions such as war or tariff manipulation, there are severe consequences.
For example, the United States of America constituted 13 % of the total UK exports in April 2025, a decrease from 21 % in the previous month. Exports to the United States fell amazing by 47 % compared to March 2025, according to UK government figures.
The National Statistics Office suggested that this “is likely to be linked to the implementation of the customs tariff on imported goods to the United States.”
Perhaps it is not a very sudden conclusion, but it is clear that it is one of the main importance.
Where there is a will
Companies can mitigate the impact of definitions in several ways, and perhaps the most obvious is to obtain products and components from other than affected countries. The most radical step is to convert production to countries where harmful definitions do not apply.
For example, Apple is currently transferring some manufacturing from China to India and Vietnam.
But just think about that for a moment; For a former generation, peaceful relations between the United States and Vietnam seemed impossible, but today countries are deeply involved in the useful trade of both parties.
However, these options are attractive in a superficial way but come with great challenges, not less expensive and delay.
Instead, companies can set their prices – seek to recover profits from their customers; Again, a difficult option where the order can easily fall.
Many other options, including entering cost -sharing agreements with suppliers, either temporarily or through discounts, can reduce some pressure.
Other possibilities include the use of free trade areas, where goods can be imported to the United States but kept in slave warehouses – there is no tariff due while staying there.
For e -commerce traders, there are opportunities to regulate shipments that fall into the tariff thresholds in the destination country, including the “minimum” threshold (which decreases prices below). This can simplify logistics and improve delivery times, and critical considerations of global e -commerce traders.
The practical approach is to work with a logistical company that understands all these options so that it can advise on the best way to deal. They will usually have the ability to choose the optimal guidance that reduces costs and/or delivery times, which makes it possible by having strong relationships with major transport companies and local delivery partners.
Working with such a partner can also help in exhausting paper works sometimes associated with international shipments.
Dhu de minimal maximization
The United Kingdom is the third largest e -commerce market in the world, after China and the United States, according to the US government trade administration.
DE minimis are placed by each country and imported goods without these values do not attract taxes or duties. It is a scheme that works very well to support global e -commerce, which usually consists of huge numbers of relatively low small beams.
In the United States, De Minimis is set at $ 800. In the European Union, the minimum was set at 150 euros, and in the United Kingdom it is 135 pounds.
A Reuters report indicates that the number of minimum packages that enter the United States approached 1.4 billion in 2024, due to an online shopping. This will soon overcome customs process and main parcel transmission, if they are forced to treat taxes and duties on each package.
“More than 90 % of all the packages coming to the United States are now entering through De Minimis,” the report added.
The removal of exemptions can lead to minimal shipping shipments of e -commerce around the world, but perhaps there is a state of lowering the threshold.
Conclusions
It is self -evident that peace is necessary to conduct trade freely.
But the relationship is mutual: Trade can be a basis for peaceful relationships. Trade generates confidence.
The effects of human -making disorders on trade can be reduced in several ways, but perhaps the best way to ask for experts.
In the end, if asked what to do when he faces challenges for global trading order, the answer is – Doux Commerce.
