Sen. Rob Portman on the importance of a fair global trading system

Ohio Senator Rob Portman has been involved in shaping American trade policy throughout his career, from his role as the United States Trade Representative to position on the Senate Finance Committee. Today, he speaks with Brookings Senior Fellow David Dollar about the state of the U.S. trade relations with Mexico, Canada, and China, and the importance of enforcing fair trading norms around the world.

Portman explains why he believes the proposed United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) is an improvement to NAFTA, emphasizing the need to update trade agreements to include issues like digital trade and labor enforcement, and the likelihood the agreement is passed by Congress. Later, Portman and Dollar discuss the future of the U.S. economic relationship with China and structural obstacles that stand in the way of a meaningful U.S.-China trade deal.

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Dollar and Sense is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network.