Who Rules Trade Rules?

Containers stacked far and wide

From Jamestown:

The Chinese ‘Rules and Future’ of Global Trade

Executive Summary:

• The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is shaping global trade standards in data control and customs clearance. These standards give preference to Chinese platforms that provide Beijing with end-to-end visibility into global shipping.
• No Western equivalent of this system exists, and the resulting data asymmetry could enable PRC actors to identify supply chain chokepoints, exploit dependencies in critical resources, and circumvent tariffs, sanctions, and export controls.
• Chinese trade platforms gain international power via bilateral adoption agreements, multilateral institutions like the World Customs Organization, and standards-setting bodies led by Alibaba and state-run LOGINK. This ecosystem embeds Chinese platforms and norms into global trade infrastructure, locking in adoption and displacing alternatives.

Sounds like something that the rest of the world should get in front of. Or maybe it doesn't matter if the Chinese establish the standards, they'll probably do a pretty good job. Of course the Chinese could use this system to their advantage, but any centrally planned system is going to have weak spots and properly motivated outsiders will probe and eventually find those weak spots, so people who don't think they are getting a fair shake are going to exploit those weak spots.