Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo considering China trip amid tech trade war tensions
Christopher Hutton
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Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is considering a trip to China while the United States and her department manage an escalating technology war.
Raimondo is thinking about visiting China the week of Aug. 21., unidentified sources told Bloomberg, although the dates are not finalized and could shift. It remains unclear what Raimondo could expect to deliver or change for U.S. businesses during her visit. She is also hesitant to visit without knowing the trip will inspire a positive outcome for U.S. businesses.
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The background for the trip is that the Commerce Department is managing and regulating the sale of semiconductors to China. If Raimondo does leave, she will be the fourth Biden administration official to visit China since June.
The Commerce Department declined to comment. Raimondo said at an event last week that she plans to go to China “later this summer” but was “still finalizing a date and plans.”
The U.S. and China have been going back and forth for nearly a year in a war over semiconductors and the components required to make advanced military technology. Raimondo has played a notable role in pushing for restrictions on Chinese access based, according to emails released by Chinese hackers in July.
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The U.S. has been attempting to cut back on its chip exports to China as well as improve U.S. abilities to construct chips locally. The Commerce Department implemented rules in October 2022 that placed dozens of Chinese companies on an “unverified” list, limiting their ability to purchase or acquire semiconductors or advanced technology without a license.
China implemented restrictions on gallium and germanium, two metals necessary for creating high-level chips, in early July over alleged national security concerns. The country banned the use of chips from the U.S. chip maker Micron in May.