China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Tuesday raised “serious concerns” with his US counterpart Gina Raimondo on Washington’s curbs on its trade, urging it to lift sanctions on Chinese firms “as soon as possible”, Beijing said.
“Wang… focused on expressing serious concerns about US semiconductor policy on China and its restrictions on China’s network-connected cars,” said a statement from Beijing’s commerce ministry, which described the phone call Wang had with Raimondo as “candid, in-depth and pragmatic”.
Wang “stressed that it is particularly necessary to clarify national security boundaries in economic and trade fields,” the statement said.
It added that Beijing “urges the US side to attach importance to the specific concerns of Chinese companies, lift sanctions on Chinese companies as soon as possible, and improve the business environment for Chinese companies in the United States”.
The call comes a few weeks after sharp US tariff increases on Chinese electric vehicles, EV batteries and solar cells took effect — with levies down the line on other products also recently finalised.
The latest moves, targeting $18 billion in Chinese goods, come weeks before November’s US presidential election — with both Democrats and Republicans pushing a hard line on China as competition between Washington and Beijing intensifies.
In addition, the United States is planning to ban the sale of connected vehicles incorporating Chinese and Russian technology, citing national security risks.
Washington has also restricted technology exports to China such as semiconductors and the machinery used to manufacture them.
The aim is to limit Chinese companies’ access to cutting-edge equipment purchased abroad, particularly for military purposes.
China has condemned those curbs as “protectionist”.
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