DuPont arm speaks out for fair trade

DuPont Sustainable Solutions, the operations consulting arm of US-based DuPont Group, said increasing tariffs and trade barriers is not the solution to develop the world economy in a healthy way.

Davide Vassallo, global managing director of DSS, said the company supports free and fair trade and will continue to work with all stakeholders to seek new market opportunities.

His remarks came after the US government began to levy punitive tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese imports on Friday. China then retaliated by imposing tariffs of the same amount to defend its interests.

While China is making progress on the path to an advanced and competitive economy, Vassallo said it would take time for the changes to have an impact. Patience and consistency is certainly needed, as well as continuous reforms along the way.

Trade protectionism will make a country lose competitiveness simply because it cannot benchmark itself anymore, said Liu Yuan, a researcher at the Research Center of Global Value Chains at the University of International Business and Economics.

number of countries in which DuPont Sustainable Solutions has a presence

“This is a global market, and at the end of the day, globalization will not only increase trade among countries but will also create global supply chain networks across developed and developing countries,” Liu said.

With a presence in 35 countries, and supported by more than 1,000 employees, DSS works with clients to manage risk and improve the safety of their people and the productivity of their operations, while developing the capability of workforces to sustain those improvements. It operates business branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

As the Chinese government stressed that supply-side structural reform will be the main platform to upgrade the country’s industries, the nation’s development will shift from quantity and speed to quality and efficiency, said Ian Xie, DSS managing director for China.

“Together our clients and employees have fueled our last 50 years of progress and together we will continue to meet new needs through a shared commitment to improving the safety, productivity and sustainability of the workplace, especially in the areas of chemistry, energy, transportation, construction, food and aerospace,” he said.

Xie said DSS will accelerate its capability to extract leading, predictive insights from data to allow its clients to make informed decisions and harness digital technology to mitigate risk and maximize operational efficiency.

“As global supply chains expand, they have become more accessible in China, allowing businesses in the country to participate in the global economy more efficiently and cost effectively,” he said.