President Trump campaigned on and was elected in part because of his deal-making acumen. These are skills he says will lead to better deals for American businesses and workers.
As the president embarks on his first trip to Asia, the administration will showcase its deal-making skills with some of our nation's most important trading partners, particularly China. If his rhetoric (or recent NAFTA negotiations) is any guide, the administration's approach will be highly transactional – extending "asks" to the Chinese to receive "gets" to advance our interests.
But as an investment banker for nearly 30 years before joining the Obama administration – an appointment that had me regularly (and successfully) negotiating with the Chinese -- I believe success will depend on commercial diplomacy, not on transactional deal-making.
I say that for four primary reasons. Read the rest of the post here.