The Biden Administration is hoping for U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo's China visit to improve tourism and trade between the United States and the Asian country.
On Sunday, Aug. 27, Raimondo arrived in Beijing to begin her four-day visit to China.
Biden Admin Has High Hopes for Raimondo's China Visit
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee May 16, 2023 in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony on the topic of a “Review of the President's FY2024 Budget Request: Investing in U.S. Security, Competitiveness, and the Path Ahead for the U.S.-China Relationship."
According to Fox Business' latest report, Raimondo's China visit happened as tensions between the U.S. and China intensify because of geopolitical competition.
U.S. President Joe Biden talked with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on Thursday, Aug. 24. Raimondo said that POTUS told her that China and the U.S. need to keep lines of communication open to prevent escalation of disputes.
"We want to have a stable commercial relationship - and core to that is regular communication," said Raimondo.
The U.S. official added that in order to avoid further conflicts, the U.S. government and Beijing need to communicate with each other.
The Washington Post reported that Raimondo's China visit is a big deal for the United States since it is the latest effort where a senior Biden Admin official tries to reset the relationship between the two economic powers.
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Improving US-China Tourism, Trades
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo arrives for a meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao at the Ministry of Commerce on August 28, 2023 in Beijing, China. Raimondo is on a four-day visit that attempts to balance boosting business ties with Beijing while keeping U.S. national security trade measures off limits for debate.
Raimondo is making her China visit as she seeks to stabilize business ties, as well as improve exchanges and tourism with the Asian nation.
She told Wang that the U.S. government is not trying to curb China's economic growth.
The U.S. commerce secretary added that Washington is interested in a growing Chinese economy that plays by the rules.
Raimondo also talked about restoring the U.S.-China tourism to pre-pandemic levels. She explained that if the tourism level between the two superpowers can be restored to 2019 level, it could help add $30 billion to the economy, as well as open over 50,000 jobs.
"It is profoundly important that we have a stable economic relationship it's to the benefit of both our countries and in fact what the world expects of us," said Raimondo.
But, the senior Biden Admin official said that this will definitely be challenging and complicated.
She stated that although the U.S. and China will disagree on certain issues, the two countries can still progress if they are open, practical, and direct with one another.
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