Charlene Barshefsky, the United States Trade Representative under President Bill Clinton, was the architect and chief negotiator of the landmark deal that cleared the way for China to join the World Trade Organization. As trade representative, she also negotiated a global deal to eliminate tariffs on high-technology products. Her Clinton administration colleagues nicknamed her “Stonewall Barshefsky” — after Stonewall Jackson — for her pugnaciousness. After leaving the government, she was senior international partner at the law firm WilmerHale, participated in numerous advisory groups on China policy and met frequently with Chinese officials. She now runs an advisory firm, Parkside Global Advisors, in Washington D.C. The following is a lightly edited transcript of a recent interview in which we discussed what was happening behind-the-scenes during the negotiations for China to join the WTO, and how U.S.-China relations have panned out since. This interview is part of Rules of En