U.S. Pool via Reuters
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo met with Chinese officials in a high-stakes visit to Beijing and Shanghai this week, and she said Sunday that the trip helped establish open lines of communication between the two nations.
Raimondo is the fourth high-level U.S. official to visit China this summer, but she is the first U.S. Commerce secretary to travel to the country in five years — a period where the bilateral relationship has grown increasingly tense.
“We are in a fierce competition with China at every level, and anyone who tells you differently is naive,” Raimondo told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday. “We are in a fierce competition with China at every level, and anyone who tells you otherwise is naive,” Raimondo told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday. Conflict is not in anyone’s best interest. Conflict is not in anyone’s interest. Raimondo’s visit to China was questioned after Chinese hackers broke into her emails in the summer. She said, “I brought it up clearly and put it on the table.” “Didn’t pull any punches. “
Raimondo also brought up concerns regarding national security, U.S. labor and U.S. business, she said.
In the fall of 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security announced new export controls that limited the ability of Chinese businesses to buy certain advanced semiconductors from American suppliers.
Raimondo said Sunday that the export controls are about national security, not about gaining an economic advantage. She added that the U.S. will remain as hard-line as possible with its most advanced technology.
“We are not going to sell the most sophisticated American chips to China that they want for their military capacity,” Raimondo said. “But, I want to make it clear that we will continue to sell billions in chips to China because most of the chips are not cutting-edge. “
She stated that although the export controls are a complex and nuanced policy, certain chips sold to China would generate revenue to American businesses for further research and developments.