The Readout: A Conversation on Economic and Business Measures at the State Department

In the latest episode of “The Readout”, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert talked with Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Manisha Singh.

During their conversation, Assistant Secretary Singh outlined 2018 policy goals for the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. The Assistant Secretary highlighted that the President’s National Security Strategy underscores “economic security is national security.” She also emphasized the importance of economic policy in the United State’s foreign policy and discussed the Bureau’s goal to better connect the State Department and its work to the American people — specifically American businesses who might be interested in accessing global markets.

Assistant Secretary Singh and Spokesperson Nauert also dicussed President Trump’s priorities when it comes to trade. The Assistant Secretary underscored the importance of ensuring there is rules based trading system to ensure a fair and level playing global field for American companies and for everyone.

Assistant Secretary Singh discussed what it means for her, personally, to be an immigrant as well as the first woman to hold the position of Assistant Secretarty of State for Economic and Business Affairs at the Department. In that spirit, she discussed her personal priority to empower women, particularly by helping women build the networks they need to succeed.

Watch their full conversation here:

Or listen to the podcast here:

Editor’s Note: This entry originally appeared on DipNote, the U.S. Department of State’s official blog.