Raimondo's Visit to China: Balancing Trade and Tensions

Gina Raimondo, the US Secretary of Commerce, is traveling to China with the dual responsibility of strengthening US business relations with Beijing while imposing tough trade restrictions on China. The Commerce Department, under Raimondo's leadership, has imposed extensive trade restrictions on sales of chips, software, and machinery to China's semiconductor industry, with the possibility of further restrictions being considered. Raimondo's visit will test the Biden administration's ability to balance economic ties with China and national security concerns. While American officials argue that economic engagement can coexist with limited trade restrictions, skepticism remains in both countries. Chinese officials view the restrictions as an effort to hold back their economy, while some Republicans in the US believe even innocuous business ties with China could undermine US industries.