Commerce Secretary May Visit China in August

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo plans to visit China in late August according to people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported Monday. 

Though the people told Bloomberg the commerce secretary is hesitant to go unless the trip will deliver positive results for Americans, they said the visit could be used to discuss the use of semiconductor chip technology in China. Semiconductor imports to China have fallen significantly following U.S. efforts to restrict access to the technology.

The commerce secretary’s office has not yet announced a trip. If it comes to fruition, the visit would be Raimondo’s first trip to China in her official capacity as commerce secretary and follows visits to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and climate envoy John Kerry earlier this year. 

The news comes after the commerce secretary was identified as among the targets of Chinese hackers who breached the emails of approximately 25 organizations last month, including three federal agencies.