Wendy Cutler on How to Enforce a U.S.-China Trade Deal
Wendy Cutler on The Brookings Trade Podcast
ASPI Vice President Wendy Cutler joined host David Dollar for an episode of Brookings Institute's Dollar & Sense podcast on the structural issues in the U.S.-China trade negotiations and how a trade agreement between the two countries could be enforced.
Cutler and Dollar identify the key structural issues that will shape a likely trade deal, and while Cutler is optimistic that a meaningful deal will be reached, she notes that not all disagreements are likely to be resolved. She points to state-owned enterprises and the issue of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) as two examples. “[China's] state-owned enterprises that operate in the commercial space...need to be disciplined, and they need to be disciplined with the whole idea of having a level playing field created.” Cutler adds, “the one area I would underscore where China has a lot further to go in the IPR area is trade secrets. I know they have a law now but that law is woefully inadequate.” Cutler also remarks that a key point for the Trump administration was enforcement and making sure China actually implements and follows through after a trade deal is reached.