Transformation of international trade to be discussed by experts at the Open Dialogue in the branch of the National Centre RUSSIA in the Primorye region

On 5 September, experts of the thematic track "Investment in Connectivity" will gather at the branch of the National Centre RUSSIA in Vladivostok to discuss the key ideas expressed by the authors of essays for the Open Dialogue "The Future of the World. New Platform for Global Growth". The Open Dialogue is a Russian initiative launched in 2025 that has brought together experts from more than 100 countries worldwide.

At the beginning of the year, the global community was invited to share their vision for the development of the world economy in the format of an essay on one of the thematic tracks: investment in people, investment in connectivity, investment in the environment, and investment in technology. All proposals were expected to focus on human wellbeing.

Speaking about the Open Dialogue at SPIEF 2025, President of Russia Vladimir Putin stressed the need to create a single ecosystem for discussing, developing, and implementing breakthrough ideas. He emphasised that only by joining forces can we address the global challenges facing the modern world today. Participation in shaping a new global model of growth will help achieve prosperity for countries and sustainable development for the entire world for many years to come.

The international Open Dialogue "The Future of the World. New Platform for Global Growth" was held for the first time on 28–30 April 2025 at the National Centre RUSSIA in Moscow, bringing together more than 100 participants from 48 countries. Over three days, representatives of government institutions, business, science, and the media presented hundreds of ideas for creating a new, effective model of global economic development.

Every fourth author submitted an essay on the theme "Investment in Connectivity". Special attention was paid to the future of international trade, which is now undergoing an inevitable transformation. Within this track, during the in-person stage of the Open Dialogue in Moscow, experts and participants also discussed approaches to developing infrastructure, establishing new logistics routes, enhancing the security of trade, and simplifying delivery procedures through the use of digital products and AI tools.

The global economy is experiencing profound transformation, leading to a restructuring of the entire system of international trade. Juan Antonio de Castro de Arespacochaga, Doctor of Economics and Professor at the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, and expert for the "Investment in Connectivity" track, noted during his speech at the Open Dialogue session at SPIEF 2025 that global trade is becoming fragmented, fast, and technology-driven, while the international system is evolving into a network of preferential agreements. Today, the need for a fundamentally new architecture of trade is more urgent than ever — one that is more flexible, technologically independent, and resilient to external pressure.

The Primorye branch will host experts from ten countries to discuss the most pressing issues of global trade development as part of the session "Transformation of trade and connectivity institutions in the new reality". The session will address the following issues:

— Institutional reset (developing unified norms and standards needed to ensure the resilience of a multi-vector global economy under current conditions);

— Technological sovereignty as a factor in reducing dependence on Western countries through the introduction of domestic technical solutions in financial settlements, goods transportation, and digital services;

— Strategic development opportunities as the potential to create new centres of trade attraction and to revise existing trade norms in the current economic situation.

As in previous years, the session in Vladivostok will be moderated by Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation.

The livestream will be available on the portal dialog.russia.ru.