US trade chief: Talking to China is no 'sign of weakness'
«It's in the US interest. It's in China's interest.
Indeed, it's in the world's interest for the US and China to have a stable and significant commercial relationship,» Secretary Gina Raimondo told CNN's «State of the Union,» days after returning from Beijing.
«I do not accept the premise that talking and communicating is a sign of weakness» toward China, she added.
Raimondo met with top officials during her Beijing visit, including her counterpart Wang Wentao and Prime Minister Li Qiang.
The visit came as the Biden administration has been working to restore a more effective working relationship with Beijing at a time of deep and continuing strains.
It was the fourth visit by a senior US government official since early summer, each of them on a fraught mission amid severe challenges — including Raimondo's recent allegation that China-based actors had hacked her email.
«I want it to be clear with them that we aren't foolish,» she told CNN. «We aren't closed eyes to the reality of what of what they're trying.»
She added: «I put it on the table and let them know… that it's hard to build trust when you have actions like that.»
Raimondo said her Chinese counterparts recognized «that we have plenty of tools in our toolbox.
