Andrew Blasi

US-China Relationship Uncertain amidst COVID-19 and US Election Season

Based in Washington DC, Andrew Blasi Jr. serves as director of Crowell and Moring International and provides consulting solutions in international trade. Among Andrew Blasi Jr.’s areas of extensive knowledge are trade relations between the United States and China.

With the recently adopted national security law in Hong Kong impacting the implementation and next steps of the multi-phase US-China trade agreement, and global economic shifts due to COVID-19, a reevaluation of just-in-time supply chains is taking place. Efficiency was previously the defining factor, but now a more nationalist perspective on supply chains is taking hold.

To-date, trade negotiations may not have had their intended effect, at least not from the viewpoint of the US. Tariffs have not addressed disparities in the US-China trade balance. Indeed, the trade surplus enjoyed by China has increased with the US as its export markets become more diversified. In particular, it has been expanding rapidly in markets such as the ASEAN nations of Southeast Asia.

In the short term, shifts in the US-China supply chain is benefiting countries such as Viet Nam and Taiwan, which may produce similar products without the burden of extra tariffs. Manufacturers are seeking trade diversion strategies that avoid tariffs, such as changing suppliers and transshipment. Permanent changes in the US-China trade relationship will require complex planning and may entail significant costs.

What Are the Strategic Principles of the Saudi Arabia B20 Group?

An experienced international strategist and economic policy expert, Andrew Blasi Jr. currently serves as the director of Crowell and Moring International in Washington DC. A member of the Florida House on Capitol Hill board of trustees, Andrew Blasi was also selected by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to serve on the Integrity and Compliance B20 Task Force.

As a member of the B20 Group, Andrew Blasi works to strengthen ethics and integrity in public procurement while also advocating for further utilization of public-private cooperative models. B20, which refers to Business 20, is organized annually to represent the business interests of G20 member nations. These nations include the United States, China, Japan, and the European Union.

Three strategic principles govern the work of the B20 Group. First, the group seeks to make actionable policy recommendations that can make a positive impact. Second, the B20 Group develops recommendations that are inclusive of all stakeholders, especially minority groups and women. This second principle also encourages transparency in order to attract global influencers and think tanks. The final principle, adherence to the highest professional standards, ensures policy recommendations are aligned with modern economic and business principles.

Requirements for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Projects

A graduate of the Mason School of Business at the College of William and Mary, Andrew Blasi Jr. served under Ambassador Robert Tuttle as a Foreign Service Fellow in London. In his current role as director at Crowell & Moring International, Andrew Blasi oversees large-scale collective actions and public-private partnerships and is well known for his leadership in strengthening ethical business practices. He often participates in international conferences, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the Business 20 (B20).

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) was founded in 1989 with 12 founding member economies, including the United States. Now there are 21 member economies from across the Asia-Pacific region, united with the goal of promoting and supporting sustainable economic growth. Once a year, one of the member economies hosts the APEC Leaders Meeting, along with other gatherings such as the Economic Leaders Meeting and the APEC Senior Officials Meetings (SOM) and related events.

APEC is unique in that the organization co-sponsors projects that range from research and publications to capacity-building workshops and symposiums. This allows APEC to advance implementation efforts, whereas other organizations may focus solely on issuing statements of ideal practice. For economies to receive co-funding, a project must move APEC member economies toward free and open trade and investment. The project must also be implemented within 18 to 21 months of approval and adhere to the APEC Guidebook.

B20 Prepares Recommendations to G20

Andrew Blasi, Jr., graduated with a bachelor of business administration from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. In early 2020, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia chose Andrew Blasi, Jr., to become a member of the Business Twenty (B20) task force on integrity and compliance. Mr. Blasi joins business leaders representing G20 member states as a supporting co-lead of the B20’s efforts.

Founded in 2010, Business Twenty (B20) connects the global business community to leaders of the 19 countries that make up the G20. The summit meets every year, generally ahead of the G20, to determine policy recommendations. The group is divided into task forces that focus on specific business community issues and is responsible for generating policy papers that include recommendations and actionable items for the G20.

Saudi Arabia will host the G20 in November 2020. The host has prioritized the B20 as a key engagement group. This year’s task forces will focus on six topics: digitalization; energy, sustainability, and climate; finance and infrastructure; future of work and education; integrity and compliance; and trade and investment.

The Economic Fallout of COVID-19

A member of the B20 and director of Crowell and Moring International, Andrew Blasi Jr. advises companies and business leaders on foreign policy matters and international trade. Recently, Andrew Blasi discussed the economic, supply chain, and business impacts of novel coronavirus COVID-19 in an interview with the Washington Examiner.

In the March 2020 interview, Mr. Blasi stated, “If the length of [COVID-19] persists . . . it could have significant ramifications for how we structure ourselves as an economy.” Disruptions due to COVID-19, such as market downturns, signal what some economists are calling a potential “economic pandemic.”

The most widely affected industries are hospitality (restaurants and hotels) and retail simply because many localities have issued stay-at-home orders to control the spread of the disease. Moreover, with cases rising daily, there seems to be no end in sight or clue as to when businesses can reopen.

Much of March found stock market volatility a more common occurrence than a rarity, while other indicators of economic health dipped. For instance, unemployment claims hit a record 3.3 million in the third week of March. The previous record was 695,000 in October 1982.

According to an article in Investor’s Business Daily, the economic outlook in the US in the future depends on two factors. The first relates to how long the shutdown will last, while the second hinges on the severity of the restrictions in place. Many envision businesses slowly opening, depending on the extent of the spread of infection and its impact on communities.

The predictions for where the economy is heading are mixed. One best-case scenario has the economy recovering in May with the GDP falling 10 percent in Q1, or conversely, not recovering until June and falling 25 percent to 30 percent in Q2. Social distancing’s impact on growth could translate into a 9 percent dip in unemployment and 9 percent contraction in the economy.

An Advocate for Ethical Business Practices

Andrew Blasi Jr. is a director of Crowell and Moring International, an international policy and regulatory affairs consulting firm based in Washington, DC. Andrew Blasi promotes good ethical business practices and integrity around the world across a range of different industries. He also collaborates and is a champion of building cooperation between public and private sector organizations.

During a November 2019 interview with UpJourney, Andrew Blasi Jr described business ethics as a “principles-based” approach that provides individuals within and outside of a particular business or industry with behavioral determinants. He indicated that well defined principles can be elaborated into voluntary or mandatory “codes of ethics” that many businesses and non-business organizations, of all sizes and types, use to inform their daily behavior.

Andrew Blasi Jr also described the important role of high standard ethical business conduct in facilitating global commerce. He said that as business has become increasingly global, so to have efforts to foster harmonization in business ethics around the world, particularly on a sector-by-sector basis. If a small company in one country wishes to sell its goods or services in another, ideally, those you might sell to or partner with have the same understanding of what is ethical and unethical in their business dealings. For this reason, according to Andrew Blasi Jr, business ethics has become increasingly vital to international trade and creating a level playing field.

According to Andrew Blasi Jr, ethical conduct is vital to fostering trust with stakeholders outside of the business, such as customers, governments, and research partners. In fact, for this reason, business ethics can spur faster innovation, better ensuring different individuals and stakeholders are working together to achieve common objectives.

About Andrew Blasi

An expert in developing large-scale international partnerships, Andrew Blasi Jr. holds the title of director at Crowell and Moring International, a international regulatory affairs and policy firm located in Washington, D.C. Andrew Blasi has established relationships with governments, international organizations, and other stakeholders across multiple sectors based on his reputation for strengthening business integrity and ethics, including for small and medium enterprises. Within Washington, D.C., Andrew Blasi Jr. is known for representing influential and large American Chambers of Commerce (AmChams) on trade and commercial issues with the U.S. government.

Andrew Blasi Jr. joined Crowell and Moring International in 2010 as a consultant, advancing to the role of associate director in 2016. He became a director with the firm in 2018. Among his accomplishments, he has supported the development of groundbreaking consensus frameworks and related agreements to advance ethical collaboration across health systems in such places as Australia, Viet Nam, Japan, China, Canada, Peru, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates, among others.

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