US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo visits China to cool off tensions

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is set to hold meetings with Chinese counterparts Monday on a trip to Beijing aimed at cooling trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. Her visit - which will last until Wednesday - is the latest in a series of high-level trips by US officials to China in recent months. The visits could culminate in a meeting between the nation’s leaders. US President Joe Biden said recently that he was expecting to meet China’s Xi Jinping this year. Raimondo arrived in Beijing on Sunday and was met by commerce ministry director of the Americas and Oceania department Lin Feng. Raimondo “looks forward to constructive discussions on issues relating to the US-China commercial relationship, challenges faced by US businesses, and areas for potential cooperation,” the commerce department said last week. She will also travel to China’s economic powerhouse Shanghai, Washington said. Relations between Washington and Beijing have plummeted to some of their worst levels in decades, with Washington’s trade curbs among the top of the laundry list of disagreements. Washington says its restrictions are crucial to safeguarding national security, while Beijing sees them as seeking to curb its economic rise.