China and the United States must discuss the boundary of national security to minimise the impact on normal trade and investment, commerce minister Wang Wentao told his US counterpart on Thursday.
“Generalisation and politicisation of national security affects normal trade and investment exchanges between the two countries, and it is very important for both sides to discuss the boundary of national security on the trade front,” Wang told US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in San Francisco, according to the Ministry of commerce.
The communications were “pragmatic, constructive and fruitful”, the ministry said.
China’s Xi Jinping pledges ‘heart-warming’ measures to attract foreign investors
China’s Xi Jinping pledges ‘heart-warming’ measures to attract foreign investors
Both sides agreed to hold their first vice-ministerial level talks under the exchange mechanism in the first quarter of next year and start technical discussions on the protection of commercial and trade secrets in January, the ministry added.
During the talks, Wang raised concerns over US controls on semiconductor exports, sanctions against Chinese companies, investment restrictions and punitive tariffs imposed on Chinese products during the trade war.
But both sides agreed to support subnational trade cooperation and investment promotion activities and set up project offices to facilitate docking projects to achieve practical results.
The two countries would also establish a intergovernmental dialogue mechanism on standards and conformity assessments.
The US Commerce Department has yet to comment on the meeting.
The US should stop politicising, instrumentalising and weaponising economic, trade and science and technology issues
In Beijing on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning also lashed out at the tech containment efforts.
“The US should stop politicising, instrumentalising and weaponising economic, trade and science and technology issues, and stop disrupting the stability of the global production and supply chain,” Mao said.
Mao was responding to questions about a US probe into Applied Materials for allegedly violating Washington’s export ban and shipping equipment via South Korea to sanctioned Chinese chip maker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC).