Biden’s commerce chief just denied the U.S. is breaking up with China and then listed all the ways it’s doing exactly that

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo sits at a table in front of a nameplate with Chinese lettering. (Credit: Andy Wong—AFP/Getty Images)

Gina Raimondo’s visit to China this week involves the commerce secretary walking a political tightrope so taut it might snap at any moment. She had to try to smooth over a tense U.S.-China relationship while at the same time not appearing in any way lenient on national security issues. But try as she might, she kept on giving off a certain unmistakable message: We’re just not that into you.

During the course of her visit, Secretary Raimondo, who is the fourth high-level official from the Biden administration to visit China this year, reiterated the importance that economic ties play in the relationship between the world’s two largest economies.