China enters 2026 targeting 5% growth. But behind the numbers, it grapples with weak domestic demand, a property hangover, high local government debt, and growing external pressure on trade and technology. Beijing’s answer is increasingly framed around expanding ‘new economy’ investments in advanced manufacturing and clean tech. Will that be enough for China to achieve its growth targets?

Probably not, says Dan Rosen, co-founder of the Rhodium Group. He joins Jay Sapsford to discuss how these new strategic investments yield too little to compensate for the property bust or declining returns on infrastructure. That, in turn, leaves Beijing even more reliant on exports than ever before, with significant implications for the rest of the world.

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The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.

Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/
Join the conversation on LinkedIn: / global-intelligence-desk

Amid a dramatically shifting global environment, Europe enters 2026 with pressure coming from every direction: security threats from Russia, economic threats from China, political fragmentation, a lagging digital sector, energy insufficiency, rapid aging, surging public debt, and a stagnant economy suffocating in red tape. The stakes for business will be significant, given the trade flows across the Atlantic, by some measures the biggest bilateral economic relationship in the world. U.S. demands over Greenland are the latest sign Europe can no longer rely on the United States for the balance of its hard security while focusing on ever more generous social programs.

But what is Europe’s path to revival? Can it rise to the challenge? Featuring the U.S. Chamber's Senior Vice President, Europe, Marjorie Chorlins.

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The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.

Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/
Join the conversation on LinkedIn: / global-intelligence-desk

Washington policymakers will again navigate a dramatically shifting playing field in 2026, not least because of the midterm elections in November. We can think of no better guide than our very own Neil Bradley to help us understand not only the stakes of the election, but what to expect across the issues that matter most for business.

In this conversation, amid the continued uncertainty, we step back and ask: What will the world actually see out of Washington in 2026, and what does it mean for companies making long-term decisions today? We explore the outlook for tariffs and investment policy, the direction of U.S. leadership and alliances, the evolving debate over AI and innovation, and how domestic policy choices (from deregulation to immigration and tax policy) could shape competitiveness in the year ahead.

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The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.

Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/
Join the conversation on LinkedIn: / global-intelligence-desk

Beata Javorcik, Chief Economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development is the lead author of the EBRD’s landmark new report, “Brave Old World,” which lays out one of the defining long-term challenges of our time: the demographic reversal. Populations are aging, fertility rates are falling, and fiscal systems, whether in high-income economies or the global south, are coming under strain.

This week on The Call for our final episode of the year, Jay Sapsford asks Beata how governments can manage this transition, what an economy built on a shrinking workforce means for growth, how developed and emerging markets should prepare differently, and whether expectations for technology to fill the widening gap are realistic. As Javorcik notes in the report, “Meeting this challenge will require courage.”

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The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.

Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/
Join the conversation on LinkedIn: / global-intelligence-desk

America’s alliances - and the businesses that bind those partnerships - are recovering from the strain of this year’s trade tensions. Amid the rise of China, uncertainties remain over how best to pursue our immediate economic goals while also pursing less tangible, long-term strategic interests. Jay Sapsford asks Ambassador Rahm Emanuel: As alliances evolve, can Washington and its friends effectively deter Beijing?

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The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.

Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/
Join the conversation on LinkedIn: / global-intelligence-desk

Traffic at America’s ports is one of the most underappreciated indicators of economic prospects - and at the Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest, traffic is slowing. That begs a question: Is the slowing port traffic a red flag? Few people see real-time demand, supply chain stress, and geopolitical pressure points as clearly as Gene Seroka, Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles. Jay Sapsford talks with Gene about what the slowdown means for trade and growth.

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The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.

Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/
Join the conversation on LinkedIn: / global-intelligence-desk

Seven years ago, economists at Capital Economics, an independent macro-economic consultancy, issued a paper entitled The Coming Slowdown in China. At a time when much of the world was convinced China would overtake the U.S., they argued that tailwinds were already turning into headwinds.

Our guest on this episode of The Call is Mark Williams, Chief Asia Economist at Capital Economics, and co-author of the firm’s provocative report. We ask Williams to revisit his firm’s thesis today, seven years on, against a very different backdrop, including an escalating U.S.-China rivalry amid sluggish growth.

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The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.

Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/
Join the conversation on LinkedIn: / global-intelligence-desk

Adam Posen, in the most recent issue of Foreign Affairs, published a stark argument that has generated buzz here in DC: The U.S., in his telling, has leveraged its role as a ‘global insurer’ underwriting the risks of the world’s economic system, to extract ever richer premiums from allies, demanding more and more as the price of U.S.-led security.

At a time when the world was already undergoing significant changes, Posen joins the Call to raise significant questions about the role of the U.S. in the years ahead: What will be the U.S. role in a chaotic new era? Will it continue to offer security and a financial haven? Or is the U.S. now a source of turmoil, leveraging uncertainty for economic gain?

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The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.

Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/
Join the conversation on LinkedIn: / global-intelligence-desk