New crossroads: How connector nations are rewriting trade routes

In ports and boardrooms around the world, patterns of commerce that once seemed immutable are shifting with the geopolitical tides. A new cohort of “connector” trade nations is emerging, countries that act as mid-stations between trading partners that previously traded directly, taking in goods, adding value or repackaging them, and exporting them onwards. This edition explores the rise of these intermediary economies, including Vietnam, Mexico, Türkiye and Morocco, and examines how geopolitical tensions, tariffs, and new infrastructure corridors are redrawing trade routes in real time.