US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo (l) and Chinese Premier Li Qiang on August 29, 2023 in Beijing (POOL/AFP/Andy Wong)
US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Tuesday during a meeting in Beijing with Chinese Premier Li Qiang that the United States and China must “do more, together” in the face of the planet’s problems.
Citing topics of “global concern, such as climate change, artificial intelligence, the fentanyl crisis”, she said: “I think the world expects us to do more, together, to solve these problems”.
“I totally agree with you that our business relationship can be the backbone of our relationship,” she also told the prime minister.
Trade between China and the United States (AFP/Janis LATVELS)
“President Biden asked me to come here to send the message that we are not aiming for a decoupling (between the two economies, editor’s note). We are seeking to maintain our commercial relationship with China, which represents 700 billion dollars” , she added.
Mr. Li Qiang replied to Ms. Raimondo that the “politicization” of trade issues by the United States would have a “disastrous impact”, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
“The politicization of economic and trade issues and the over-extension of the security concept will not only seriously affect bilateral relations and mutual trust, but also damage the interests of businesses and peoples of both countries, and have a disastrous impact on global economy,” Li told Raimondo, according to Xinhua.
These statements, on the third day of Ms. Raimondo’s visit to China, come at a time when the two leading economic powers in the world, which are trying to ease their bilateral tensions, have multiplied high-level meetings in recent months.
Earlier in the day, Raimondo had met with Deputy Prime Minister He Lifeng, to whom she described the trade relationship between the two countries as “one of the most important” in the world: “Managing this relationship responsibly is crucial for our two nations and the whole world”.
US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo (L) and Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Hu Heping on August 29, 2023 in Beijing (POOL/AFP/Andy Wong)
Washington “will never compromise on the protection of our national security” but does not seek to “hinder the Chinese economy”, assured the minister again.
– Fourth visit –
He Lifeng told him of Beijing’s desire to show “maintain economic consensus and increase cooperation”.
Gina Raimondo is the fourth senior American politician to visit China this year, after those in July of US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and John Kerry, the US envoy for the climate.
The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, meanwhile visited Beijing in June.
None of these visits led to major advances.
US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and US Ambassador to China Nick Burns (L) during a meeting with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on August 28, 2023 in Beijing (POOL/AFP/Andy Wong)
Monday, after a meeting between Ms. Raimondo and her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao, Beijing and Washington have however agreed to create a working group to try to iron out the trade disputes between them.
This group was to meet for the first time on Tuesday, according to Washington.
Among the many disagreements are the trade restrictions imposed by the United States on the export of certain American products, in particular high technology, to China.
Washington considers them crucial to preserve its national security. But Beijing believes that they are mainly aimed at curbing China’s economic rise and development.
– “Complicated relationship” –
Gina Raimondo told her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao on Monday of “the importance of ensuring open lines of communication between the United States and China”, according to the American report of the meeting.
US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo (2nd d) and her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao (2nd l) during a meeting in Beijing on August 28, 2023 (POOL/AFP/Andy Wong)
China has spoken of its “serious concerns” about US trade restrictions targeting its companies, the China News Agency reported on Tuesday.
“Unilateral and protectionist measures go against the rules of the market and the principle of fair competition”, underlined the Chinese Minister of Commerce, quoted by New China, who mentions in particular the American restrictions targeting semiconductors.
This “will only harm the security and stability of global supply chains”, he insisted.
During her interview with Wang Wentao, Ms. Raimondo acknowledged that between Beijing and Washington, “it is a complicated relationship, a difficult relationship”.
“We will of course disagree on some issues, but I think we can move forward if we are direct, open and pragmatic,” said Raimondo.
The Secretary of Commerce, who ends her visit to China on Wednesday, goes to Shanghai, the economic capital, on Tuesday evening.
© 2023 AFP
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