U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo arrives for a meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao, at the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 28, 2023.Andy Wong | Pool | via ReutersU.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo met with Chinese officials in a high-stakes visit to Beijing and Shanghai this week, and she said Sunday that the trip helped establish open lines of communication between the two nations.Raimondo is the fourth high-level U.S. official to visit China this summer, but she is the first U.S. Commerce secretary to travel to the country in five years — a period where the bilateral relationship has grown increasingly tense.”We are in a fierce competition with China at every level, and anyone who tells you differently is naive,” Raimondo told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday. “All of that being said, we need to manage this competition. Conflict is in no one’s interest.”Raimondo said that a lack of communication between the U.S. and China could further escalate tensions and lead to misunderstandings, so structured discussions are key for addressing commercial issues that arise.The Commerce secretary’s trip to China …
