U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said her trip to China had made “a lot of progress” but that unless Beijing acted in areas such as more predictable regulation, “it would be impossible to build trust”.
Raimondo’s comments during an interview with CBS Facing the whole country She has strengthened her stance since returning last week from a four-day visit and meeting with senior Chinese officials as part of President Joe Biden’s administration’s efforts to ease tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
During Raimondo’s visit, Washington and Beijing resumed formal channels of communication that had been severed over the years as relations soured: the creation of a task force focused on commercial issues and an “information exchange” on export control enforcement. The two sides also agreed to an “exchange” around trade secrets, Raimondo said Sunday.
“I think we’ve made a lot of progress,” she said on CBS. Asked whether she trusted Chinese officials after her trip, she said: “I probably wouldn’t use the word trust. We need to see action. There can’t be trust until we see action.”
Raimondo’s job gave her the power to control export controls and promote U.S. business abroad, and she was asked about the administration’s stance on Chinese investment in the U.S., including in farmland.
“Not every Chinese investment in the United States will harm our national security, but many investments will harm our national security,” she said.
Raimondo’s visit drew criticism from Republicans in Washington, saying it showed too many concessions to China.
“She was right when she said that dialogue is very important and we should talk as much as possible,” Sen. Mike Rounds, Republican of South Dakota, said on CNN. union states on Sunday. “But you also have to think with them about the reality that the Chinese communist government doesn’t necessarily seem to want to do more than just talk. At this stage of the game, action is crucial.
