From Beijing to Budapest: Did U.S. Tariffs Rewire Global Value Chains Toward Central and Eastern Europe?

Authors

• Neli Petric '27, DePauw University
• Guangjun Qu, DePauw UniversityFollow

Files

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

Fall 10-1-2026

Abstract

The main research question guiding our work was whether the U.S.-China trade war, which began in 2018 and has continued through new rounds of tariffs and policy uncertainty, has generated meaningful and lasting economic effects for CEE economies. In addressing this question, we were interested not only in whether trade volumes changed, but also in how the region may be repositioning itself among three major economic partners: the European Union (EU), China, and the United States. We deliberately placed the European Union first in our analysis because CEE economies are geographically, institutionally, and economically part of Europe, even though their degree of integration into the European single market varies across countries. We then examined China, given the earlier development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and China’s active efforts to expand trade and investment relationships in the region, before turning to the United States and the most recent tariff shocks.

Department

Department of Economics, DePauw University

Project Mentor

Dr. Guangjun Qu

Funding and Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Asher Fund and the Faculty Development Committee for their support and making our research possible.

Recommended Citation

Petric, Neli '27 and Qu, Guangjun, "From Beijing to Budapest: Did U.S. Tariffs Rewire Global Value Chains Toward Central and Eastern Europe?" (2026). Annual Student Research Poster Session. 262.
https://scholarship.depauw.edu/srfposters/262