US Commerce Department Officials Headed to China... "Secretary Raimondo Plans Visit"

Could It Be a Prelude to Easing US-China Tensions... Also Carries Political Burdens

Senior officials from the U.S. Department of Commerce are set to visit China next week to facilitate Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo's trip to China.

China's state-run media outlet Global Times reported on the 8th, citing foreign media such as CNBC. According to CNBC, senior officials including Elizabeth Economy, the senior advisor on China issues to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, will visit Beijing and Shanghai next week. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Commerce stated, "The officials will meet with their Chinese counterparts, businesspeople, and others to discuss trade and business issues between the two countries."

Global Times analyzed this move as a step anticipating Secretary Raimondo's possible visit to China in the second half of this year. Earlier, Bloomberg also reported on the 2nd that Secretary Raimondo is planning a visit to China this year. Raimondo told Bloomberg, "We do not want relations with China to become more tense," adding, "We are sending a team there this spring to address such issues, and I will probably go as well."

Regarding this, a Chinese Ministry of Commerce official said, "China hopes to resolve mutual concerns through dialogue and achieve constructive and practical cooperation," expressing an "open attitude" toward Secretary Raimondo's visit to China.

On the 6th, French President Emmanuel Macron also visited China and held two summits with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Through these meetings, the two countries discussed various sectors including Airbus aircraft and helicopters, container ships, nuclear power plants, desalination plants, cosmetics, financial products, and pork.

Amid escalating U.S.-China tensions, if Secretary Raimondo, who has led U.S. export controls on advanced technologies such as semiconductors to China, visits China, it could serve as a catalyst for easing tensions between the two countries, analysts say.

However, there are also views that the political burden is significant. If Secretary Raimondo fails to achieve any results during her visit to China, she could suffer political damage. Therefore, if the Commerce Department officials visiting China judge that there is no practical benefit, Secretary Raimondo's trip to China could be canceled.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.