Raimondo Says She Hopes to 'Ratchet Down the Conflict' With China on Trip

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, responding to a question from Express Association of America Executive Director Mike Mullen, said he was exactly right when he said that while there's a long list of problems with China, the government also has to keep in mind "how important China is to our economy, and maintaining that into the future."

Raimondo, who spoke to a supply chain competitiveness virtual meeting Aug. 22 just before leaving for China, said: "We have a very significant trading relationship with China; that’s good for China, that’s good for America -- frankly, it’s good for the world."

She said that the two countries are in "fierce competition," and there are national security concerns that circumscribe what can be sold to China, but added: "There are, however, a lot of lanes to do business, and we should do that."

The Commerce Secretary said the goal of her trip to Beijing (see 2308220010) is to "ratchet down the conflict and turn down the temperature without ever compromising American national security." She also said she would like China and the U.S. to create "some formal channels of communication around commercial issues."