US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimond speaks during an interview in Washington, DC, USA, Thursday, March 2, 2023.
Andrew Haller | Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Senior Commerce Department officials will travel to Beijing and Shanghai next week as part of efforts to lay the groundwork for a possible trip by Secretary of State Gina Raimond later this year, according to people familiar with the plans. .
Elizabeth Economy, senior adviser to the Secretary of State for China Affairs, and Scott Tatlock, assistant secretary for China and Mongolia, said whether such talks between Raymond and their Chinese counterparts would produce results that warrant a visit. Evaluate what
A Department of Commerce spokesperson confirmed the visit was “to meet with U.S. commercial service officials, government officials, and industry to discuss bilateral trade and commercial opportunities for U.S. companies.”
But a possible visit by Mr. Raimond — a former governor of Rhode Island whose political ambitions are said to extend beyond his commercial work — said a person familiar with the plans. For example, following a recent visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, Beijing agreed to hand over 160 Airbus planes, while Airbus double its production in the country.
A visit by Secretary of State Anthony Brinken, scheduled for early February, has been postponed indefinitely due to tensions during the cross-country trip of China’s surveillance balloon.
Economic talks between Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and the Treasury Secretary were suspended because of the tension, but have since resumed. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in late March that the White House was discussing the possibility that Secretary Yellen and Secretary Raimond would visit to “discuss economic issues … opened these lines of communication.” It’s still worth it to leave it alone.”
Beijing failed to hit a major benchmark for a trade deal between the two countries in 2020, which Raimondo has promised to implement. buy an airplane Airbus rival, Boeing.
In September 2021, Raymond told reporters, “China is withholding the purchase of tens of billions of dollars of Boeing aircraft that Chinese airlines have already ordered, which will create jobs for many Americans. threatening,” he said.
Since then, Commerce has taken a stopgap approach to sensitive trade issues. On high-tech exports that could advance China’s military ambitions, Raimondo is taking a hard line, expanding restrictions that prevent Beijing from buying major semiconductors.
On TikTok, where support for the ban is growing on both sides of the aisle, Raimondo takes a more dovish approach. “The politician in me literally thinks I’m going to lose voters under 35 forever,” she said. Bloomberg Businessweek“No matter how much I hate TikTok, I hate it because I see the bad s addiction that it helps kids. You know, this is America.”
