U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will travel to China next week for meetings with senior Chinese government officials and U.S. business leaders, the department said on Tuesday, marking the latest in a recent series of high-level visits.
Last month, Raimondo vowed to go forward with the visit despite the reported Chinese hacking of her department's emails.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Raimondo will carry a message that the U.S. is not seeking to decouple from China, but will protect its national security. She will reinforce that the U.S. is focused on sustaining an economic relationship with China, he added.
Raimondo met with Xie Feng, China's ambassador to the United States, on Tuesday ahead of the trip.
Raimondo "raised issues of importance to the United States and American businesses and workers and discussed issues relating to the U.S.-China commercial relationship, challenges faced by U.S. businesses, and areas for potential cooperation," the Commerce Department said.
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