Meridian Global Business Briefing with Ambassador Sarah Bianchi, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative – Asia, Africa, Investment, Services, Textiles, and Industrial Competitiveness.
With a number of high-level multilateral discussions on the horizon as well as concerns about U.S. leadership on trade policy, American negotiators have a monumental slew of months ahead of them. On Friday September, 23 2022 Meridian was honored to host Ambassador Sarah Bianchi, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative – Asia, Africa, Investment, Services, Textiles, and Industrial Competitiveness. The discussion was moderated by Michael Allen, Managing Director, Beacon Global Strategies and covered insights into the Biden Administration's 2023 trade agenda priorities.
Ms. Bianchi has spent nearly a decade in government roles in economic and domestic policy including in the Office of the Vice President, the White House Domestic Policy Council, the Office of Management and Budget and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. In 2011, Ms. Bianchi was appointed by then Vice President Biden as his head of economic and domestic policy where she coordinated all policy initiatives ranging from workforce competitiveness to manufacturing to budget negotiations. She also served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy. Ms. Bianchi has also served as a senior advisor to the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware where she worked on a variety of economic policies and served as Chair of the Institute's Policy Advisory Board.
On May 23, 2022 the White House issued a statement on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. IPEF's commitment to advancing economic growth, resilience, and sustainability has made it an attractive agreement for the economies in the region. Ambassador Bianchi underscored a sense of unity in the long-term goals posited to combat climate change and harness the vibrant economic ecosystem. She posited that this joint venture has the ability to strengthen and underpin U.S. leadership in the Indo-Pacific. Ambassador Bianchi also highlighted that no one person has that ever elusive crystal ball, but with another year of multilateral discussions during UNGA and Ambassador Tai's recent visits to the Indo-Pacific and Africa, President Biden's trade priorities seem to be in full swing. A new prime minister in the United Kingdom does lend itself to further discussions on a new U.S. - U.K. free trade agreement. COP 27 and the G20 will allow for further discussions on effectively combating climate change and strengthening global economic partnerships, and with midterms in November we may see ramifications of those elections shake up President Biden's targets for trade. Lastly, the conversation touched on China and its role as a more active trade partner globally in recent years than the U.S. Ambassador Bianchi discussed the importance of the United States reaffirming its role as a strong counterweight against Chinese influence. But doing so in a way that does leave countries with an ultimatum of friendship.
Project summary
| Meridian Global Business Briefing with Ambassador Sarah Bianchi, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative – Asia, Africa, Investment, Services, Textiles, and Industrial Competitiveness. | September 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Number of Attendees: | 15 |
| Regions: | East Asia and Pacific, Africa, South and Central Asia |
| Impact Areas: | Business and Trade, Foreign Policy |
| Program Areas: | Diplomatic Engagement |
| Partners: | Private Sector |
