‘We are in the same boat’: Chinese envoy Xie Feng meets US commerce chief Gina Raimondo to set tone for official visit
- China’s ambassador to Washington tells senior US official the countries ‘should not harm each other’ and urges expanding areas of cooperation
- During four-day trip, Raimondo is expected to raise concerns about Beijing’s economic data and explain rationale behind investment curbs
Beijing and Washington announced the senior official’s long-anticipated trip on Tuesday, the same day Xie and Raimondo met. Raimondo’s four-day visit will begin on Sunday.
Xie told Raimondo that “the world today is full of changes and chaos while the world economy faces a weak recovery and unpredictable crises in multiple aspects”.
“As China and the US belong to the same planet and share the same blue sky, we are in the same boat and are not immune [to the situation]. We should not harm each other for the benefit of one side but should overcome difficulties together,” Xie said in the meeting, which he described as “in-depth, pragmatic, and constructive”.
The two officials also discussed “challenges faced by US businesses and areas for potential cooperation”, according to the US commerce department.