On October 10, 2023, Asia Society Northern California hosted an Executive Roundtable event featuring notable leaders in the field of trade, technology, and business: Arun Kumar, Managing Partner at Celesta Capital and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets; Kirti Gupta, a prominent figure in Cornerstone Research’s technology, digital economy, and artificial intelligence practice; and M.R. Rangaswami, Founder of Indiaspora and Co-Founder of the angel investment firm Sand Hill Group. Kumar shared key takeaways from his newly released book, The Global Trade Paradigm: Rethinking International Business in the Post-Pandemic World.

Kumar began by explaining that trade serves as an indispensable driver for globalization and that deglobalization will alter the status quo of world commerce. Gupta shared insights about how current geopolitical tensions are shifting globalization, as tensions between key countries create ripples in the trading ecosystem. Kumar also addressed overreliance on China for goods and services and pondered the need for alternatives.

In light of these transformative shifts, Kumar suggested a new trading alliance that might compensate for the deficiencies in the current trade system. He suggested an opportunity for India to step in, as India is ascending in the global economic and trade paradigms. India's expertise in the fields of engineering, technology, and manufacturing puts it on track to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2031.

Executive Roundtable guests with additional expertise in the field also shared their insights and questions for the speakers.