US to demand “a balanced playing field” from China for its businesses

The United States wants to ensure that its companies in China compete with local companies on an equal footingUS Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said before heading to the northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin as part of her visit to the Asian giant.

“It has been invaluable to hear from members of the American business community about the challenges they face in China. The Biden-Harris administration is pushing to (achieve) a level playing field for US businesses in China, ”Sherman said today via his profile on social network Twitter.

This is one of the claims of the previous US administration, chaired by Donald Trump, since foreign companies wishing to operate in the Asian country tend to encounter restrictions (many sectors are also prohibited to them) and with local businesses that have strong state aid, among other factors.

In another separate message, Sherman conveyed the condolences of the United States “to those who have lost their loved ones in the severe flooding in Henan Province” in central China and the scene of torrential rains in recent days which have resulted in the deaths of at minus 63 people.

HIGH LEVEL MEETINGS

As part of your asian tour, Sherman will meet with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and in charge of relations between the United States and China, Xie Feng.

Sherman will likely meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The choice of the coastal town as the meeting point is due, according to experts quoted by state television CGTN, to Beijing’s efforts to reduce the risk of contagion in the Chinese capital.

“We have not received any foreign officials in Beijing in recent months due to the need to control the pandemic”, assured the Da Wei network of the University of International Relations of Beijing.

TENSA CONTACT

Relations between Beijing and Washington began to deteriorate in 2018, when former President Trump launched a trade war with China that then spread to areas such as technology and diplomacy.

After Joe Biden arrived at the White House last January, the two countries attempted to reorient their relations, with marginal success to date.

Without going any further, this week the two countries exchanged accusations of supporting and directing global cyberattacks, and China on Friday announced sanctions against 6 Americans and a North American institution of power in response. to those issued on July 16 by the United States. against 7 Chinese officials for “undermining the autonomy” of Hong Kong.

Previous occasions when senior Chinese and US officials saw each other dated back to April, when US Special Envoy for Climate Change John Kerry met his Chinese counterparts in Shanghai during what was the first high-level visit to the American country in 20 months, and to the two-power summit in Alaska in March.

On this occasion, the two delegations organized a tense meeting during which severe accusations were exchanged.

In this regard, as Sherman’s visit to China was announced this week, the US State Department said one of the goals was to “manage the relationship responsibly”, which Beijing reiterated must be done by mutual agreement and not from “positions of strength.”

(With information from EFE)

KEEP READING: