Making US-Africa Trade More Effective, Lowering the Cost of Prescription Drugs, and More

November 16, 2021

Editor’s note: Today at 10:00 AM EST, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan joins us for a readout of the virtual meeting between President Biden and President Xi Jinping and a discussion on the broader U.S. approach to China. Watch the conversation live.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has served as the cornerstone of the U.S.-Africa commercial relationship for more than two decades, but it is set to expire in 2025. To ensure continuity in U.S.-African trade ties, Witney Schneidman, Kate McNulty, and Natalie Dicharry argue that the United States must grapple with the legislation’s potential reauthorization now.

“The U.S. has successfully pursued policies in the past that improved incentives for innovation and affordability, from basic science investments to programs for financing innovative start-ups. There is significant win-win potential in legislation building on the considerable strengths of drug pricing regulation proposals,” write Rena Conti, Richard Frank, and Jonathan Gruber.

Though China has traditionally shied away from formal alliances, Beijing’s resistance to them is starting to erode. Patricia Kim describes Beijing’s changing calculus with countries like Russia, Pakistan, and Iran, and what the United States should be prepared for should China start to form its own version of an alliance network.

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