The COVID-19 pandemic caused one of the biggest shocks to the world economy in modern history, with wide-ranging and long-lasting consequences. This paper investigates the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on international business and trade policies of countries. The pandemic has caused major disruptions in global supply chains, a reduction in international trade, and changes in investment flows. Countries have been forced to adapt their trade policies through restrictions on the export and import of key products, especially medical equipment, and have encouraged digitization in response to the challenges of the pandemic. The paper analyzes how different countries reacted to the crisis, comparing the trade policies of the United States, China, Italy, Spain and Croatia. The contribution of the work is reflected in the analysis of adaptations of global business to new conditions, including increased digitization, reorganization of supply chains, and strengthening of companies' resistance to future crises. The paper also discusses the importance of strengthening domestic production and reducing dependence on global supply chains, which has become evident during the pandemic. Methodologically, the paper relies on the analysis of secondary data on imports, exports and balances of payments of selected countries, and offers recommendations for further recovery of international business in the post-pandemic period. The paper concludes that globalization will continue to be a key factor in international business, but with a stronger emphasis on resilience and adaptability.