After four years of international tumult, Hillary Clinton is preparing to step down as secretary of state. In addition to carrying out her traditional role as the nation’s top diplomat, Clinton has quietly used the office to help U.S. companies close deals with foreign governments—arguing that business and trade promotion are central to American strategic interests. Bloomberg Businessweek sat down with Clinton in August in her seventh floor office overlooking the Lincoln Memorial. In this edited interview, she talks about competing with China and the rest of the world and why the government should go to bat for business.