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This week President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are preparing for a pivotal summit - potentially to finalize a new trade agreement between the United States and China. For months there’s been the spectre of a trade war between the two countries with each imposing huge tariffs on the other’s imports and goods. In his own style Donald Trump said “I think we’re going to end up having a fantastic deal with China,… fantastic for both countries, and it’s going to be fantastic for the entire world.’ Let’s hope so because trade isn’t just about economics - it’s a conversation and relationship that can build trust and connection across borders. And while, for most of us trade deals may sound like the work of diplomats, economists, and boardrooms, their impact reaches into our daily lives in often quiet but powerful ways - the price of a loaf of bread, the cost of a new phone, the availability of clothes, medicines, or the food we eat every day. Jobs too can rise or fall with the tides of trade; factories can thrive or close, farms and industries flourish or struggle under the weight of foreign competition. We all share this world and understanding these connections is a way of valuing the threads of our shared economic tapestry and prosperity. Yes, international trade like many things can be selfish even corrupt; but when done with a level of honesty and integrity, it can also be the lifeblood of creativity and trust. Perhaps this is why the Prophet, a merchant himself who traded in leather goods, spices, perfumes and jewels that passed through Mecca, elevated the importance of trade. He emphasised trade that was fair to be the foundation of commerce, a way of building bridges and bringing cultures together, saying, “The honest and trustworthy merchant will be with the prophets, the truthful, and the martyrs.” Sometimes it takes a trip abroad to really appreciate how international trade has over the ages, left powerful cultural legacies. For me personally a recent trip to Sicily reminded me that civilisations can compete, collaborate and create something enduring. Sicily was like a living poem, its architecture, hills and seas a testament to how beauty and commerce are intertwined. The Roman writer Pliny the Elder once suggested that the Mediterranean was the `wine of civilisation’ and Sicily poured generously into that cup. As the super powers meet this week, let’s hope that they see the sanctity of trade, that it affects us all — not just in what we buy, but in how we live, and how we belong to one another.