Exclusive‘Stay calm, be nimble, get prepared’: former Obama trade rep Sapiro on how Chinese firms should operate in Trump era
‘Buckle your seat belt and hold on,’ says Miriam Sapiro who served under Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Obama
Keep calm and be prepared to adapt: that’s the advice of a former senior US Trade representative for Chinese companies hoping to do business overseas, in the new era of uncertainty prompted by Donald Trump’s surprise win in the US presidential election.
“It’s going to be a roller coaster for a while. Buckle your seat belt and hold on,” said Miriam Sapiro, who served under Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Obama, most recently Deputy US Trade Representative and Acting US Trade Representative under Obama.
Sapiro now heads the Washington, DC, office for global communications firm Finsbury and was recently in Hong Kong and Tokyo working to reassure clients, and discuss how best to operate in the new post-Trump environment.
“I urge clients to think proactively and creatively, to what new opportunities might be afforded by the incoming Trump administration,” she told the Post in an exclusive interview at Finsbury’s Hong Kong headquarters.
“In general, my advice is to be nimble, because we’re in a period of rapid change and shifting coalitions. Be ready to go in different ways depending on how an issue looks like it’s moving.
“Also stay focused, be very clear about what your goals are.”