US and China kick off new trade talks
Late last Friday, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and China’s Vice Premier Liu He met virtually to discuss US-China commercial issues and the two countries’ implementation of the Phase One trade deal. The conversation came after Tai had announced earlier that week that the Biden administration would use Phase One as a tool to maintain US-China dialogue on trade and address outstanding market access issues.
Tai and Liu agreed on the...
Sullivan and Yang build on momentum from Biden-Xi call at meeting in Switzerland
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Politburo Member and Director of the Office of Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi in Switzerland on Wednesday to identify areas where the United States and China can work together to address vital transnational challenges. Sullivan emphasized the importance of maintaining “open lines of communication” in order to ensure “responsible competition” and...
US-EU tech council had inaugural meeting, mirroring themes in Raimondo speech
The United States-European Union Trade and Technology Council (TTC) met on Wednesday in Pittsburgh to coordinate their strategies on technology, economic, and trade issues. While the joint statement released after the meeting did not mention China by name, it made several references to non-market economies and trade policies that harm US and EU workers, consumers, and businesses. More specifically, the...
Biden and Xi tell UN they are not seeking conflict
President Joe Biden delivered his first speech before the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Biden stressed that he welcomes competition but not “a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs.” President Xi Jinping offered similar reassurances in his pre-recorded remarks, saying China will never “invade or bully” others and has “no intention to fight a Cold War or hot war with any country.”
Biden identified several...
Biden reaches out to Xi as US ponders new Section 301 investigation
Last week, President Joe Biden initiated a phone call with President Xi Jinping after a series of less senior conversations had stalled. The White House readout shares that the presidents discussed several broad, strategic issues and are considering a face-to-face meeting in the future, while sticking to an “ongoing” and “high-level” communication channel in the meantime. According to China’s Ministry of Foreign...
Commerce indicates controls on foundational technologies still under consideration
During a US-China Economic and Security Review Commission hearing on Wednesday, Acting Undersecretary for the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Jeremy Pelter said that foundational technologies should be controlled using multilateral regimes. While it is unclear if or when BIS will take action, Pelter’s statement is the strongest indication yet of the Biden administration’s...
US-China tensions threaten to derail climate collaboration
This week, US Climate Envoy John Kerry traveled to China to continue climate discussions with his counterpart, Climate Envoy Xie Zhenhua, and also met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. While both sides agree that climate change must be addressed in coordination, Wang argued that collaboration on climate change cannot be divorced from the overall US-China relationship and that the United States must bring the relationship “back on...
Nicholas Burns officially nominated as ambassador to China
Last Friday, the Biden administration nominated Nicholas Burns to serve as US ambassador to China. Burns’s nomination has been anticipated since May and comes just weeks after Qin Gang, the new Chinese ambassador to the United States, arrived in Washington. Burns is a career diplomat who has served as under secretary for political affairs and ambassador to NATO at the State Department. Biden’s decision to select a skilled...
It was a quiet week in Washington on the China front, as the administration and policymakers were focused on Afghanistan and Congress is out of town for August recess. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is quietly continuing its comprehensive China policy review, which is expected to conclude in the fall.
Congress continues to grapple with how to fit multiple China packages into this year’s packed legislative calendar. It is still unclear where China legislation falls in Congress’s...
Infrastructure bill with handful of China provisions passes Senate, moves to House
On Tuesday, the Senate passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, which must be approved by the House before becoming law. The bill contains several provisions that impact the US-China relationship, some of which were added to the substitute amendment introduced by Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and accepted as part of the final agreement this week. In addition to provisions...
