A profound global shift is underway as companies realign their supply chains to prioritize resilience and reliability over cost-efficiency, fundamentally reshaping trade and investment patterns worldwide. This key insight emerged from the recent 2025 World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) Member Forum, where experts emphasized that stability, credibility, and facilitation have become the new benchmarks for global competitiveness.
New data confirms this long-term trend toward de-risking and building durable partnerships. According to the OECD’s Resilient Supply Chains Report 2025, a striking 72% of executives now prioritize reliability over cost, a dramatic increase from just 34% in 2019.
This reversal is driven in part by a significant decoupling in global trade patterns. Michael Blanga-Gubbay, Research Economist at the World Trade Organization (WTO), noted that “Trade between the U.S. and China grew more than 30% slower than U.S. trade with the rest of the world.” This slowdown is triggering a substantial trade diversion, redirecting trade and investment toward alternative, more reliable partners.
For many developing markets, this global reconfiguration represents a critical opportunity. Yvonne Botchey, Managing Director of World Trade Center Accra, highlighted that while innovation in these regions is abundant, the critical missing link is often the trusted infrastructure needed to secure global capital.
“Credibility is the new incentive, and facilitation is the new promotion,” Botchey stated. “Investors are making fewer but deeper bets. They want partners who can de-risk entry, shorten timelines, and navigate policy and people.”
This trend is already visible in the ASEAN region. Scott Wang, WTCA Vice President, Asia Pacific, pointed to the ASEAN Investment Report 2025, which recorded US$226 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), as evidence of rising investment flows reflecting the demand for trusted regional bases.
“Investors today are not just looking for lower operational costs—they are looking for assurance,” Wang said. “Our network of WTC businesses across ASEAN is uniquely positioned to provide on-the-ground insight, connections, and facilitation that help companies develop alternatives in supply chain and enter markets with confidence.”
The 2025 Member Forum brought together 280 registrants representing 105 World Trade Center businesses across 43 countries and territories for practical knowledge exchange and collaboration. The discussions will continue at the 56th Annual WTCA Global Business Forum (GBF).
The upcoming WTCA GBF, hosted by WTC Greater Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from April 19-22, 2026, will serve as a neutral, solutions-focused space to further examine how collaborative and resilient trade networks are redefining competitiveness. It will bring together WTCA members and global leaders from business, government, and academia to explore timely discussions on trade, investment, and partnership opportunities.
