‘Typical act of autocracy’: Beijing hits back at US commerce chief’s hope to slow Chinese innovation

 

• •Gina Raimondo voices need to work with Europe on eve of launch of US-EU Trade and Technology Council, which aims to reduce shared reliance on Chinese manufacturing
• •If clamping down on China’s innovation becomes American national strategy, ‘it would seriously hamper the progress of trade ties’, says US affairs analyst
• China has hit back at US Secretary of Commerce 

  Gina Raimondo’s

   comment that Washington should work with 

  Europe

   to slow China’s innovation, calling it a “typical hegemonic act”.

  “The comment revealed the US’ real intention to make every attempt to contain and suppress China’s development,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in Beijing on Thursday.

  “It’s a typical act of autocracy and hegemony,” she said, responding to Raimondo’s comment on CNBC on Tuesday.

  In the interview, Raimondo said: “If we really want to slow down China’s rate of innovation, we need to work with Europe.” She added that the US did not like “autocratic governments like China” writing the rules.

  Gloves off at top-level US-China summit in Alaska with on-camera sparring

  Raimondo’s comment was made a day before Washington announced the formation of the 

  US-EU Trade and Technology Council

  , which aims to reduce their shared reliance on China’s manufacturing juggernaut while strengthening their respective domestic supply chains involving strategic technologies.
  Its inaugural joint statement refers to “shared democratic values” and “non-market economies that are undermining the world trading system” but China is not mentioned by name.

  Raimondo co-chaired that council, along with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, European Commission Executive vice-president Margrethe Vestager and other officials from both sides.

  On Thursday, Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokeswoman Shu Yuting voiced concern about the council.

  “China always believes that any interstate cooperation should suit the trend of peace and development, to promote trust among countries instead of undermining the interests of any third party,” she said.

  Responding to reports about Raimondo’s possible visit to China, Shu simply replied that trade teams from both sides had remained in “regular communication”.

US-China trade war did not bring American firms home, research finds

24 Sep 2021

• Lu Xiang, a specialist on US affairs with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said there was an obvious trend that commerce and trade-related departments in the US were under pressure to engage in talks with China.

  Referring to Raimondo’s interview with The Wall Street Journal published last Friday, Lu said: “The interview at least said that the US wanted to restore high level and substantial talks on trade. I think it’s a clear signal.

  “Regardless of how well the talks will go, there will be engagement.”

  There’s a global semiconductor shortage and this is why it matters

  He said he believed a visit could occur in the fourth quarter.

US says Chinese government blocking purchases of planes

29 Sep 2021

• Lu said the full effect of the council – which might include more coordinated policies on semiconductors and clean energy – would be seen in the longer term.

  “The main points of the content are still initiatives and have not yet become policies, and it seems there will be mutual support on supply chains, but the rest is likely to formulate in the long term and might become clearer in the second meeting,” he said.

  “But if what Raimondo said – clamping down on China’s innovation – becomes a national strategy, it would seriously hamper the progress of trade ties.”
• https://archive.vn/wK9RM#selection-1029.0-3432.0