Virtual Event featuring From the Geopolitical overview, distribution of wealth, supply chain issues, and Education. How the current environment and the pandemic are affecting our world. Speakers will be Ben Baker, Su Ye, and John Ruwitch

Ben will try to put the chaos of global supply chain management into a glass-half-full perspective, calming the noise that sounds like the end times in much of the news media.

Su will focus on providing a spotlight on U.S.-China Food and Agricultural Trade.

John will add his insights on the growing tensions between China and the US.

Ben Baker holds a BA in Chinese Language and Literature from the University of Minnesota and has studied, lived, and worked in China – and still travels there regularly several times each year (pre-pandemic). His career at Blu Dot, an award-winning Minnesota-based modern furniture design and manufacturing firm, spans more than 15 years. Mr. Baker established Blu Dot’s Asian operations in 2007 and has led their global sourcing and supply chain since 2017.

Su Ye serves as Chief Economist and Director of Market Research at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. She is also the China trade expert helping Minnesota companies export agricultural and food products to China and other markets.

John Ruwitch is NPR’s China Affairs Correspondent, based in California. Before moving to the Golden State at the start of the pandemic, he spent more than 19 years living and working in Asia, with postings in Singapore, Beijing, Hong Kong, Hanoi, and Shanghai. He has covered everything from currency devaluations and factory strikes to Olympic badminton and North Korean missile tests.

Ruwitch joined NPR in early 2020, and has since chronicled the tectonic shift in America's relations with China, from hopeful engagement to suspicion-fueled competition. He's also reported on a range of other issues, including Beijing's pressure campaign on Taiwan, Hong Kong's National Security Law, Asian-Americans considering guns for self-defense in the face of rising violence and a herd of elephants roaming in the Chinese countryside in search of a home.