US-China Commerce and Trade Ministers to Meet in Washington Next Week... Will Tensions Ease?

The commerce and trade ministers of the U.S. and China will meet next week in Washington, D.C. to discuss bilateral trade issues. Amid rapidly deteriorating relations due to semiconductor export controls, the Taiwan issue, and the reconnaissance balloon incident, attention is focused on whether the high-level communication channel can be fully resumed to ease tensions.

Ryu Fengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the U.S., stated at a briefing on the 18th (local time), "China is open to communication with the U.S. at all levels."

Since the inauguration of the Joe Biden administration, the U.S. has designated China as a rising challenge and its greatest strategic competitor, working with allies to comprehensively check China. In February this year, relations rapidly cooled due to the reconnaissance balloon incident. However, recently the U.S. has shown willingness to engage in dialogue with China, adopting a dual strategy of pressure and engagement. In particular, Jake Sullivan, the U.S. National Security Advisor, and other key U.S. diplomatic and security officials emphasize that while China is the greatest competitor, "reducing risks" and "severing relations" are different, highlighting the importance of establishing an appropriate relationship with China.

China had previously refused dialogue with the U.S., but the atmosphere changed after the meeting in Vienna, Austria, between Sullivan and Wang Yi, member of the Chinese Communist Party Central Political Bureau. It is reported that from the 10th for two days, they continued discussions on a wide range of issues including U.S.-China relations, the Ukraine war, and the Taiwan issue.

Attention is focused on whether the U.S. and China will establish communication channels for conflict management through this meeting.

Earlier, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Secretary Blinken hopes to visit China in the near future and that discussions about the visit took place during the Vienna meeting. CNN reported that the U.S. government is pushing for a series of high-level visits to China, including Secretary Blinken, to resume dialogue with China, and that visits by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo are under discussion.