US Commerce Minister Gina Raimondo expressed to her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao on Thursday her “concerns” about Beijing’s restrictions on American companies amid diplomatic tensions.
The two officials, who were meeting in Washington on Thursday, “had frank and substantive discussions on matters related to the US-China trade relationship, including the two countries’ general climate on trade and investment and areas of potential cooperation.” said the US State Department. of Commerce said in a statement.
Gina Raimondo “also expressed her concern about the recent series of measures taken by China against US companies operating in this country,” it adds without further details.
Tensions are high between the two superpowers.
Beijing imposed restrictions on US semiconductor giant Micron on Sunday, saying its chips “present potential network security issues” and threaten “China’s national security.”
The semiconductor sector is highly strategic and was already the subject of tensions between the two countries, as the United States also restricted sales of high-tech electronic chips to China.
More generally, tensions are high between the two superpowers that are engaged in fierce competition, be it diplomatic, military, technological or economic, and are at odds on various diplomatic arenas, such as Taiwan and Russia.
They went up a notch in February because of the overflight of a Chinese balloon over US territory, which had been shot down. However, Washington and Beijing have resumed high-level contact in recent weeks.
Source: BFM TV
