Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who visited China, meets Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing on the 30th. Yonhap EPA News
Top US businessmen are visiting China one after the other and issuing messages that seem to contradict US government policy, saying, “True engagement between the US and China is necessary” and ” disconnection (splitting connections) is not allowed.” China welcomes them and seems to be trying to find a breakthrough to break through the increasingly dense US “public environment”. Jamie Dimon, chairman of JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, predicted in an interview with the ‘Global China Summit’ held in Shanghai on the 31st that trade would decrease further due to worsening relations between the West and China. But “don’t try to disconnect. “You must not try to harm China and the Chinese people,” he said. He also expressed his willingness to do business in China, saying, “JPMorgan Chase will be in China through good times and bad times.” In his speech at the main event, he said he was concerned that “the business environment is becoming more complex than during the Cold War as tensions between the United States and China shake the international order.” Chairman Dimon supported the US government’s explanation that it would downplay (mitigate risk) rather than disengage with China, but said, “The problem cannot be solved by shouting at each other on both sides of the Pacific. We hope to have a real engagement with each other.” The big comments are the ‘temperature difference’ and the US government’s move to exclude China from the supply chain of high-tech industries such as semiconductors, although it is not trying to disconnect. Visiting China for the first time since 2019, he met with Chen Jining, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and party secretary in Shanghai. Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s visit to China on the 30th also drew major attention. CEO Musk, who visited China for the first time in three years, met with Foreign Minister Qin Gang on the same day, and Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce, and Jin Zhuanglong, Minister of Industry and Information Technology, the day then. Secretary of State Tony Blincoln is unable to reschedule his visit to China, which was canceled due to the attack on US airspace by a Chinese organization in February, but Musk met with three Chinese ministers in two days. It is known that he will tour the Tesla factory in Shanghai and meet Chinese Prime Minister Li Chang. In a document that conveys the fact of the meeting between Musk and his father, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that he said, “The interests of the United States and China cannot be divided like entwined Siamese twins,” and that “Tesla opposes disconnection. .” Qin replied, “China will unwaveringly promote a high degree of outward opening.” After China eased restrictions on COVID-19 earlier this year, an increasing number of American businessmen are visiting China to expand business and collaborate with local companies. Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasiman arrived in Shanghai on the 30th and announced that he would increase the number of stores in China from the current 6,000 to 9,000 by 2025. General Motors CEO Mary Barra visited Shanghai last week and met with Party Secretary Chen. The company is lagging behind Tesla and Chinese company BYD in the Chinese electric vehicle market. In the process, comments directly criticizing the US-led export controls and protectionism continued. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who recently became the first semiconductor company to exceed $1 trillion (1,328 trillion won) in market capitalization, warned on the 23rd that “a chip war with China will cause huge damage to companies US technology” regarding semiconductor export controls to China. In Taiwan on the 31st, he said, “We will fully follow any regulations, but China will use this opportunity as an opportunity to nurture domestic companies,” and said, “Don’t underestimate China,” local media reported. reported that he will visit China later this month to meet with local tech company executives. Major business organizations, such as the American Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, also sent an open letter opposing this on the 26th, a day before the United States signed a supply chain cooperation agreement targeting China with 13 countries participating in the ‘ Indo -Pacific Economic Framework’ (IPEF). US policy, they said, would “jeopardize US trade and economic interests in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.” Entrepreneurs complained at the same time because they believed that the US supply chain reorganization policy was making it difficult for businesses to operate in China, the world’s largest market. At a briefing on the 31st, the White House National Security Council’s Strategic Communications Coordinator, John Kirby, responded to a question about the successive visits by businessmen to China, saying, “We have to wait and see if these visits are help deal with economic competition.” Regarding the executive order limiting public investment being prepared by President Joe Biden, he said, “We need to review the amount of private investment that affects the security of the United States.” Washington Correspondent/Bonyoung Lee ebon@hani.co.kr
