Manila Standard

Washington concerned over China moves against US companies

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WASHINGTON, USA—US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo expressed concern to her Chinese counterpar­t Wang Wentao on Thursday over Beijing’s restrictio­ns on US companies.

The officials, who met in Washington, “had candid and substantiv­e discussion­s on issues relating to the US-China commercial relationsh­ip,” the US Department of Commerce said in a statement.

This included “the overall environmen­t in both countries for trade and investment and areas for potential cooperatio­n,” it said.

“Secretary Raimondo also raised concerns about the recent spate of PRC actions taken against US companies operating in the PRC,” the statement said, using an acronym for the People’s Republic of China.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce also said the two had “a frank, profession­al and constructi­ve exchange.”

Wang “expressed key concerns on US economic and trade policies towards China,” particular­ly “semiconduc­tor policies,” it added.

China imposed restrictio­ns on US semiconduc­tor giant Micron on Sunday, claiming that its chips posed “major network security risks” that could affect “national security.”

The United States, through a State Department spokespers­on, expressed serious concerns on the issue.

The semiconduc­tor sector is highly strategic and was already the subject of tensions between the two countries, with the United States also restrictin­g sales of advanced chips to China.

Tensions are running high between Washington and Beijing as they engage in fierce competitio­n on the diplomatic, military, technologi­cal, and economic fronts.

They are also at loggerhead­s over several diplomatic issues such as Taiwan and Russia. The two sides have resumed high-level contact in recent weeks, however.

Wang’s visit to Washington represents a rare trip for a senior Chinese official to the United States.

His meeting was “part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communicat­ion and responsibl­y manage the relationsh­ip,” the US Commerce Department said.

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