Raimondo to Visit Beijing, Shanghai

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will visit Beijing and Shanghai Aug. 27-30 to meet with senior Chinese officials and business leaders, the agency announced Aug. 22. Raimondo looks “forward to constructive discussions on issues relating to the U.S.-China commercial relationship, challenges faced by U.S. businesses, and areas for potential cooperation.” China's Ministry of Commerce, according to an unofficial translation, said Raimondo's planned visit is "at the invitation of Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao." Ahead of the trip, the U.S. Commerce Department said, Raimondo met with Chinese ambassador Xie Feng and had a "productive discussion."

The announcement comes less than a week after House Republicans warned the Biden administration against meeting with Beijing to discuss semiconductor export controls, saying the U.S. should not negotiate its policies with Chinese officials and should instead enact tougher restrictions (see 2308180040). A Commerce spokesperson didn’t respond to questions about whether Raimondo will discuss the chip export restrictions, the Entity List or other U.S.-imposed trade restrictions.