Commercial diplomacy is, essentially, a public-private partnership – a recognition that the U.S. government and U.S. businesses have overlapping interests around the world, and that we are more likely to achieve our shared goals by working together. It is about better coordination between the public and private sectors, and it is about leveraging our business community’s knowledge and on-the-ground relationships to advance our common interests. America’s business leaders – serving as commercial diplomats – can speak directly and persuasively to the economic interests of foreign officials.  They can make the business case about how certain public policies might chill investment or otherwise hinder their development goals.