Global trade relations are tense and there is a risk of unpredictable and potentially sharp changes in trade policies worldwide. Geo-economics confrontation (sanctions, tariffs, investment screening) ranks #3 for current (2025) risks according to the GRPS and #9 over a two-year horizon. This comes after trade tensions have already been rising steeply since 2017. According to Global Trade Alert, the number of harmful new policy interventions per year rose globally from 600 in 2017 to over 3,000 in 2022, 2023, and 2024.