US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo reportedly plans to visit China in late August, which would make her the fourth high-level official of President Joe Biden’s administration to visit the country since June. Chinese experts said on Tuesday that it will be hard for the two countries to reach any cooperation deals if the US continues to suppress Chinese companies.
Raimondo, who has been “at the forefront of White House efforts to curb Beijing’s access to advanced technology”, is aiming to travel to Beijing the week of August 21, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing anonymous sources.
Western media have broadly published reports on the visit. If the trip takes place, Raimondo will follow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and US climate envoy John Kerry.
However, despite US officials have announced their intentions to ease bilateral tensions, Washington won’t abandon its attempts to contain China’s development, particularly in the high-tech area.
Biden is set to sign an order curbing critical US technology investments in China by mid-August, Bloomberg reported, noting that it will make Raimondo’s upcoming trip come at a “sensitive time.”
“American politicians have long exposed their ‘dual character’ and their words generally do not match their deeds,” Hu Qimu, the deputy secretary general of the digital real economies integration Forum 50, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
If the US government does not cease suppressing Chinese firms, “there won’t be any substantial results from Raimondo’s trip,” Hu said.
Relentless attempts by the US to stifle China’s growth are seriously disrupting global supply chains, Hu said, noting that China’s average yearly contribution to global economic growth over the past decade has exceeded 30 percent. If the Chinese economy falters, the impact on the world economy will be massive.
China’s economy has shown strong resilience and growing momentum despite the US assault. The IMF forecast in April that China will remain the top contributor to global growth over the coming five years, with its share set to be double the US.
US companies know clearly that the Chinese market is crucial to their growth, with a growing list of corporate executives flying to China this year and seeking deeper cooperation, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Visa Executive Chairman Al Kelly.
During Yellen’s four-day visit to China in early July, the Chinese side expressed the hope that the US will be rational and pragmatic in bringing bilateral ties back to the right track at an early date, China’s Ministry of Finance said in a statement.
China reiterated its concerns, urging the US side to remove punitive tariffs on Chinese products, stop the suppression of Chinese enterprises, treat two-way investments fairly, relax US export controls on China, and lift the ban on imports of the products related to Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Bilateral economic relations are mutually beneficial in nature, the ministry said, stressing that strengthening cooperation is the practical need and right choice for both countries.
(Global Times)
