Envoy has 'constructive' talk with commerce chief ahead of her China trip

Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng had an "in-depth, pragmatic and constructive" talk with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in Washington on Tuesday, according to an embassy readout.

The meeting was held ahead of Raimondo's scheduled visit to China from Sunday to Wednesday, which makes her the third member of U.S. President Joe Biden's Cabinet to visit since June, as Washington seeks to sustain high-level contacts.

Xie said that China's U.S. policy is guided by "mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation" as outlined by Chinese President Xi Jinping, and that policy has been consistent.

The envoy stated China's position on economic and trade issues of China's concern, requesting the U.S. side attach great importance to the issues and take actions to resolve them.

He called on the U.S. side to work with China in the same direction, make the list of cooperation longer, and shorten the negative list, so as to make joint efforts to stabilize China-U.S. relations.

"As all are in the same boat, no one can stay aloof, still less profit at the other's expense. The only right way forward is to pull together," Xie said.

The U.S. Commerce Department's readout of the meeting also said Raimondo and Xie "shared a productive discussion" ahead of the secretary's upcoming trip to Beijing and Shanghai.

In a post on social media on Tuesday, Raimondo wrote of the travel, "I look forward to constructive discussions on our commercial relationship, challenges faced by U.S. businesses, and areas for potential cooperation."