<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will visit China next week, Beijing and Washington said Tuesday, adding to a slew of US officials dispatched in recent months to ease tensions between the world's largest economies.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Washington says it is seeking to better manage its frosty relations with China, with the two powers at loggerheads over everything from trade to human rights and Taiwan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Secretary Raimondo looks forward to constructive discussions on issues relating to the US-China commercial relationship, challenges faced by US businesses, and areas for potential cooperation," the US Department of Commerce said in a statement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She will travel to both Beijing and Shanghai during the August 27-30 trip, Washington said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Beijing also confirmed the visit, adding that Raimondo has been invited by her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Her visit will build on an agreement between Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden in Bali last year "to deepen communication between the US and the PRC on a range of issues," Washington said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Relations between Washington and Beijing have plummeted to some of their worst levels in decades, with Washington's trade curbs among the top of the laundry list of disagreements.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Washington says its restrictions are crucial to safeguarding national security, while Beijing sees them as hampering its economic rise.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a briefing on Tuesday, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said: "Contrary to claims by some voices in China that we are seeking to slow down China's economy or weaken China's economic growth, that's just not the case."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"A stable Chinese economy is a good thing for the world," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He added that Raimondo will carry the message that Washington is not seeking to decouple from China but rather to "de-risk", which means protecting its national security.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This month, Biden issued an executive order aimed at restricting certain American investments in sensitive high-tech areas in China -- a move Beijing blasted as being "anti-globalization".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The long-anticipated rules, expected to be implemented next year, target sectors like semiconductors and artificial intelligence.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had sought to reassure Chinese officials about the expected curbs during a visit to Beijing last month, promising any new moves would be implemented in a transparent way.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She stressed the need for healthy economic competition and improved communication and urged cooperation on the grave threat posed by climate change.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But she also said she had raised serious concerns over what she called unfair economic practices by Beijing as well as issues around the protection of intellectual property.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- Steadying ties -</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In June, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken travelled to Beijing, where he met Xi and said progress had been made on a number of key sources of contention.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Neither Yellen's nor Blinken's visit led to major breakthroughs. A recent Camp David summit and statement between the United States, South Korea and Japan aimed in part at countering Beijing sparked condemnation from China.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Following that summit, President Biden said he still expects to meet Chinese leader Xi again this year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Biden is inviting Xi in November to San Francisco when the United States holds a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which includes China.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The two leaders could potentially also meet next month in New Delhi on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of 20 major economies. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>