U.S. Commerce Secretary Visits China... "Launch of U.S.-China Export Control Working Group"

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is set to announce the launch of a working group to address export controls and U.S.-China trade relations after meeting with Chinese officials, Bloomberg reported.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo (left) arrived at Beijing International Airport in China on the 27th (local time) and greeted Lin Feng, Director General of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, and Nicholas Burns, U.S. Ambassador to China.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Secretary Raimondo arrived in Beijing late on the afternoon of the 27th to begin a four-day visit to China. This marks the first visit by a U.S. Commerce Secretary to China in seven years.

During Raimondo's visit, both countries are expected to discuss current issues such as export control measures targeting each other in areas like advanced semiconductors and rare earth minerals, as well as ways to establish communication channels.

Following Beijing, Secretary Raimondo will visit Shanghai, where she is scheduled to meet with local Communist Party secretaries and members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and there is also speculation she may visit New York University’s Shanghai campus and Disneyland.

China hopes that U.S. economic sanctions and pressure on China will improve as a result of this visit. On the 24th, Shu Jueting, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce, stated at a briefing, "China will express its position to the U.S. on economic and trade issues of concern," adding, "We expect to resolve economic and trade differences with the U.S. and look forward to practical cooperation and in-depth discussions." He further said, "The China-U.S. economic and trade relationship is essentially mutually beneficial," and "Cooperation aligns with the fundamental interests of both countries and their peoples."

Earlier, after the U.S. Department of Commerce announced Raimondo’s visit on the 21st, it removed 27 Chinese companies and organizations from the 'provisional export control list,' which further raised expectations. However, some analysts suggest that, similar to the visit by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to China, the visit may conclude with a reaffirmation of the need for stable bilateral relations and communication channels.

Prior to the visit, Secretary Raimondo mentioned opportunities for cooperation in the travel and tourism sectors but also stated, "I have a very realistic and clear view of the challenges," and emphasized, "During this visit, as my colleagues have done, I will make it clear that national security protection is the top priority."

Some interpret the successive visits by high-level U.S. officials?including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Presidential Climate Envoy John Kerry, followed by Secretary Raimondo?as groundwork to pave the way for a U.S.-China summit at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting scheduled to be held in San Francisco this November.