‘Typical act of autocracy’: Beijing hits back at US commerce chief’s hope to slow Chinese innovation

Gina Raimondo voices need to work with Europe on eve of launch of US-EU Trade and Technology Council, which aims to reduce shared reliance on Chinese manufacturing

If clamping down on China’s innovation becomes American national strategy, ‘it would seriously hamper the progress of trade ties’, says US affairs analyst

Reading Time:2 minutes

99+

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says the US does not like “autocratic governments like China” writing the rules. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:30pm, 30 Sep 2021

China has hit back at US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo’s comment that Washington should work with Europe to slow China’s innovation, calling it a “typical hegemonic act”.

“The comment revealed the US’ real intention to make every attempt to contain and suppress China’s development,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in Beijing on Thursday.

“It’s a typical act of autocracy and hegemony,” she said, responding to Raimondo’s comment on CNBC on Tuesday.

In the interview, Raimondo said: “If we really want to slow down China’s rate of innovation, we need to work with Europe.” She added that the US did not like “autocratic governments like China” writing the rules.

Raimondo’s comment was made a day before Washington announced the formation of the US-EU Trade and Technology Council, which aims to reduce their shared reliance on China’s manufacturing juggernaut while strengthening their respective domestic supply chains involving strategic technologies.