WASHINGTON -- U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo met Thursday with Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao in Washington, the first bilateral cabinet-level encounter since an American fighter jet downed a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina in February.
The meeting was held days after President Joe Biden stressed that a "thaw" in bilateral relations would occur soon during a press conference at the conclusion of the Group of Seven annual leaders meeting in Hiroshima, Japan. But while talks resume on the economic front, Washington and Beijing remain in a standoff over a meeting of their foreign and defense ministers.
