Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo appeared on Meet the Press with Chuck Todd to talk about her recent visit to China and her outlook on U.S. competition with the country. The discussion quickly turned, however, to the fact that the Chinese had hacked her email servers right before her trip.
Raimondo downplayed the hack noting that it was ‘unappreciated’.
“They did hack me, which was unappreciated to say the least,” Raimondo said. “I brought it up, clearly, put it right on the table.”
Todd asked what message Beijing was sending by launching a cyber attack right before Raimondo’s visit. “It almost feels like they were thumbing their nose at us,” he remarked.
Raimondo insisted, however, that her visit was productive and that she did not shy away from voicing her grievances. “I brought up many of our grievances on behalf of our national security concerns, concerns of U.S. labor, concerns of U.S. business,” she said. “We are in a fierce competition with China at every level, and anyone who tells you differently is naive.”
The Commerce Secretary’s statement underscored President Biden’s executive order from August, which restrict investments from Chinese-linked sectors that are aiding the development of its military. The order does not, however, apply to existing investments and has been implemented with certain exemptions that limit its scope.
Raimondo noted that while the cyber attack was unwelcome, her visit to China had a silver lining. She said that the trip provided a rare opportunity for the two nations to engage in constructive discussions on issues relating to the U.S.-China commercial relationship.
The Commerce Department today over 600 Chinese firms on its “entity list”, which restricts the companies from importing American technology without a proper license. Such a move provides greater protection for U.S. companies and workers who may be affected by Chinese imports. The visit made no mention of the massive US landgrab from the community government.