U.S. Commerce Secretary in Beijing to discuss trade. Expectations are low.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo today met Chinese Premier Lǐ Qiáng 李强 to discuss export controls and other key issues in a bid to restore relations between the world’s biggest economies.

Yesterday, in a small sign of progress after a range of visits to China by senior Biden administration officials, the two governments agreed to launch an “information exchange” on U.S. technology export controls.

Today, the second day of a four-day trip, Raimondo met with Premier Li, Vice Premier Hé Lìfēng 何立峰, and the minister of culture and tourism.

Li Qiang, China’s no. 2 leader, told Raimondo he was ready to “make new positive efforts” to improve cooperation, but expressed the hope that Washington would undertake “concrete actions” — likely a reference to U.S. export controls and policy on Taiwan.

Earlier today, Raimondo met with China’s Vice Premier and economic tsar Hé Lìfēng 何立峰. He Lifeng is a very close ally and personal friend of Xí Jìnpíng’s 习近平. According to the New York Times, “practically no one in China’s political life has been closer to Mr. Xi over the years.”

He Lifeng stated that he hoped the U.S. would adopt “rational and practical” policies. Raimondo raised concerns about curbs placed by China on U.S. chipmakers Intel and Micron during more than four hours of talks on economic and trade issues.

She defended Washington’s strategy of “de-risking” supply chains and encouraging more high-tech manufacturing in the U.S., and stated that the U.S. will never compromise on issues of national security. But, she continued, “we do not seek to decouple or to hold China’s economy back.”

Raimondo today also held talks with Culture and Tourism Minister Hú Hépíng 胡和平. The two sides reached an agreement for the 14th China-U.S. Tourism Leadership Summit to take place in China next year — a sign of both sides’ appreciation of the need to reinvigorate people-to-people relations. The last such event took place in 2019.

Yesterday, Raimondo held talks with Chinese Commerce Minister Wáng Wéntāo 王文涛. They stressed the “importance of open and productive dialogue” and announced “new communication channels,” according to a statement from China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).

The commerce secretary is scheduled to have more talks with Wang Wentao tomorrow and also to visit Shanghai Disneyland.

A wave of diplomacy

In August 2022, Beijing broke off dialogue with the U.S. on military, climate, and other issues following then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

Following a three-hour meeting between Biden and Xi at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022, the White House stated that the two leaders had agreed to “empower key senior officials” to work on areas of potential cooperation.

The Chinese spy balloon incident in January and February of this year scuppered Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to China that was scheduled for February. But in May, the White House announced that it was planning to reengage with China on substantive issues.

Raimondo is the fourth Biden administration official to travel to China in recent months after Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink visited in early June, followed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken a few weeks later and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in July.

U.S. officials may be negotiating with one hand tied behind their backs, however: Washington is seeking to promote economic ties with China while restricting exports of advanced technology, and it has (so far) maintained Trump administration tariffs.