US commerce secretary says talking to China no 'sign of weakness' for Washington

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has concluded a four-day visit to China, where she met with senior Chinese officials and business leaders to discuss the economic relationship between the two countries.

During an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," on Sunday, Raimondo said the US and China have a mutually beneficial economic relationship that is important for the global economy.

She reiterated cultivating the $700 billion bilateral relationship is valuable not just for the two countries in question, but also for the global economy.

"It's in the US interest. It's in China's interest. Indeed, it's in the world's interest for the US and China to have a stable and significant commercial relationship," Raimondo said. 

She also emphasized that engaging in discussion with officials in Beijing should not be interpreted as a sign of weakness on the part of Washington. 

"I do not accept the premise that talking and communicating is a sign of weakness toward China,” adding that talking is crucial to prevent escalating tensions and misunderstandings between the two countries.

Raimondo recently returned from Beijing, where she held meetings with her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao and Prime Minister Li Qiang. She is the fourth cabinet member to visit China this year and the first commerce secretary to visit China in five years.  

In recent months, high-ranking US officials, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, US presidential envoy for climate John Kerry, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have engaged in visits to China in an effort to address various aspects of the complex US-China relationship and restart diplomatic discussions.

Raimondo’s trip to China is the latest by a senior US official in recent months as Washington tries to settle tensions with Beijing, as the US-China relations have dropped to some of their lowest levels in decades, with US trade curbs near the top of the list of disagreements. 

It came days after US President Joe Biden issued an executive order aimed at restricting certain US investments in sensitive high-tech areas in China, prompting Beijing to denounce it as being “anti-globalization.”

The fresh restrictions, expected to be implemented in 2024, target sectors such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

Beijing has expressed dissatisfaction with US restrictions on the export of certain products to China, particularly high technology, viewing them as impediments to its economic growth.

Meanwhile, Washington maintained that the export curbs are a matter of national security in the face of China’s growing military power and expanding global footprint. 

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