US Commerce Secretary Tells Chinese Premier No Intention to Hold China Back

BEIJING, August 29 (TiPost)— U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo reiterated the anti-decoupling attitude of the Biden administration in her visit to China.

Credit：Xinhua News Agency

The U.S. government has no intention of containing China's development and does not seek to decouple from China, Raimondo told Chinese Premier Li Qiang in a in-person meet on Tuesday, reported Xinhua News Agency. Instead, the Secretary said that the United States is willing to maintain communication and normal economic and trade relations, and is willing to promote the steady development of bilateral relations. She noted the Biden administration supports China's economic development and its improvement of people's livelihoods, and gets ready to cooperation with China on artificial intelligence (AI), climate change work, and combating fentanyl, according to Xinhua.

Noting China and U.S. are the largest economies in the world, Li said the two sides should strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation, reduce friction and confrontation, and jointly promote world economic recovery and cope with global challenges. "Mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation are the right ways for China and the United States to get along. We hope that the U.S. side will work with China to take more practical and beneficial actions to maintain and develop bilateral relations," Li said. While stressing the economic and trade relations between China and the United States are mutually beneficial and win-win in nature, Li cautioned politicizing economic and trade issues and overstretching the concept of security will not only seriously affect bilateral relations and mutual trust, but also undermine the interests of enterprises and people of the two countries, and will have a disastrous impact on the global economy.

Li introduced China’s efforts to advance opening-up and create a market-oriented business environment under a sound legal framework. He vowed to ease market access further and promote fair competition, adding that China will only open its doors even wider. As to the bilateral relationship, Li said China is willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with the United States on the economy and trade, and to promote the sound development of bilateral economic and trade relations. He said he hopes that the United States will work with China in the same direction.

Echoing Xinhua’s report, the U.S. Department of Commerce said, in a readout the same day, Raimondo reaffirmed her commitment to open channels of communication to facilitate cooperation on shared global challenges and areas of mutual interest and responsibility, such as combating climate change and addressing the Fentanyl crisis. The Secretary emphasized her support for actions that invest in people-to-people ties including tourism and cultural and educational exchanges which are important for the broader U.S.-China bilateral relationship, according to the press.

Earlier Tuesday, Raimondo underscored the U.S. commitment to taking actions necessary to U.S. national security in her discussion of topics including climate change, space commerce, AI, and healthcare with China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng.

In his talks with Raimondo on Monday, China’s Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao said China is willing to work together with U.S. to create a favorable policy environment for cooperation between the business sectors of both countries, and to promote bilateral trade and investment while upholding principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, according to a statement of China's Ministry of Commerce. Wang raise serious concerns about the U.S. Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods and other issues. Noting that the United States has repeatedly stated that it does not seek decoupling with China, Wang said the U.S. side should match its words with actions.

Raimondo and Wang agreed to establish a new commercial issues working group that is scheduled to meet twice annually at the Vice Minister level, with the U.S. hosting the first meeting in early 2024. The working group acts as a consultation mechanism involving both countries’ government officials and private sector representatives to seek solutions on trade and investment issues and to advance U.S. commercial interests in China. The two officials also agreed to launch the export control enforcement information exchange, which will serve as a platform to reduce misunderstanding of U.S. national security policies.

Raimondo is the fourth U.S. government official to visit China this year. Secretary of State Antony Blinken became the highest ranking American official to visit China in almost five years, as well as the highest ranking official from the Biden administration to set foot in China since Biden took office in January 2021.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen followed suit and told Chinese Premier Li Qiang the U.S. side does not seek to decouple or sever supply chains, and has no intention of hindering China's modernization process, in her long-anticipated trip to China from July 6-9. Days after Yellen’s visit came John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. In his meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang later that month, Kerry said the U.S. hopes Sino-U.S. relations maintain stable.