Source: Ruptly
US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will hold meetings with Chinese officials Monday as part of a visit to Beijing aimed at de-escalating trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
The visit, which will continue until Wednesday, is the latest in a series of high-profile visits to China by US officials in recent months, which could culminate in a meeting between the two countries’ presidents.
US President Joe Biden recently said he expects to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this year.
Raimondo arrived in Beijing on Sunday and was received by Lin Feng, director of the Americas and Oceania Department of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
The US Commerce Department said Raimondo “looks forward to constructive discussions on issues related to the US-China trade relationship, challenges faced by US companies, and areas of potential cooperation.”
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen visited Beijing last June and July and discussed with Chinese officials calming tensions between the two countries.
Relations between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated to their worst levels in decades, and the trade restrictions imposed by Washington are at the top of the list of differences, as Washington says that the restrictions it imposes are necessary to protect US national security, while Beijing sees them as an effort to limit its economic rise.