Tariffs and Global Trade In a Nutshell

Expert voices on tariffs, trade wars, and international business

Tariffs and Global Trade in a Nutshell is my ongoing tariff-related interview based podcast. In this series, I get the opportunity to speak with logistics experts, attorneys working in global trade, and factory owners in Asia to get their firsthand perspective on the recent changes in American tariff policy. I hope to publish and share my interviews so that anyone even without a firm grasp of tariffs can better understand the modern landscape of geopolitics and international relations.

Ep. 1: The U.S. Tariff Shock and Asian Logistics Rebuild - Interview with Chris Unertl (RIM Logistics ltd.)

In my first interview, I spoke with Mr. Chris Unertl, Vice President of RIM Logistics Ltd, a global company that specializes in international and domestic freight forwarding, warehousing, distribution, and supply chain management. Mr. Unertl has been living and working in the logistics industry for over twenty years. As I interviewed him, we spoke about how tariffs have caused shipment companies to shift their investments to different locations and how they have been forced to pay the tariff bill when customers forfeit a shipment. Finally, we discussed the effects of President Trump’s recent 12.5% tariff executive order on major US trading partners and whether tariffs will remain a valuable “weapon” in a trade war for the GOP moving forward.

Ep. 2: Tariffs vs. Supply Chain: What's Actually Happening in Asia - Interview with Randy Heward (TMAX ltd.)

I spoke with Randy Heward, founder and CEO of TMAX Ltd, a Hong Kong and Shenzhen-based supply chain management business that focuses mainly on toys but also on electronics and power tools. Randy has been working in Asia for over 20 years and has shared his insights on how tariffs will affect the toy industry in the Asia-Pacific region in the future. Furthermore, we discussed the strategies TMAX has implemented to mitigate the implicit and explicit costs of tariffs, as well as whether US tariffs will stimulate greater competition in the toy industry.