In Her Own Words

• On December 16, the Department of Commerce added 37 entities to its Entity List to “deter misuse of biotechnology” and other technologies “for military applications and human rights abuses.”
• On December 9, Secretary Raimondo revealed that the Department of Commerce will co-lead the Biden administration’s initiative to build an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. 
• On December 9, Secretary Raimondo said certain “guardrails” are needed to ensure that funding for The Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America Act (CHIPS Act) does not benefit China. 

In Her Own Words

• On November 29, Secretary Raimondo urged House to immediately pass funding for the CHIPS Act, a bill designed to incentivize U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and research, to ease the current semiconductor shortage. 
• On November 24, the Department of Commerce added 8 China-based technology entities to the Entity List “to prevent U.S. emerging technologies from being used for the PRC’s quantum computing efforts that support military applications.”
• On November 17, Secreatry Raimondo and Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong met to “discuss early outcomes and next steps on implementing the U.S.-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation.”

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• According to data released by Congress Republicans, the Department of Commerce issued over $100b in export licenses for semiconductors to blacklisted Chinese companies such as Huawei between November 9 2020 and April 20th 2021. 

In Her Own Words

• On October 31, the U.S. and EU ended a dispute over steel and aluminum tariffs, agreeing to remove mutual trade barriers and to cooperate on drafting global standards against ‘dirty’ steel in China and elsewhere. [Commerce official press release] [Statement by Secretary Raimondo]
• On October 7, Secretary Raimondo and Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong signed a Memorandum of Understanding implementing the U.S.-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation to strengthen U.S.-Singapore trade and investment collaboration.

In Her Own Words

• On September 29, the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council, which Secretary Raimondo co-chaired, had its first meeting. The U.S. and EU agreed to jointly work on a number of trade and investment issues regarding emerging technologies. [U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council Inaugural Joint Statement] 
• On September 24, Secretary Raimondo said that the Biden administration will continue to support U.S. market access and business ties to China despite Washington’s increasing concern over U.S.-China technology and trade exchanges. 
• In a September 24 notice, the Department of Commerce requested “foreign and domestic entities that actively participate in the semiconductor product supply chain at any level” to submit data on their purchase and sales situation in an effort to assess and address the ongoing supply chain crisis.

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• On August 25, it is reported that the Commerce Department has granted limited licenses authorizing suppliers to sell Huawei certain auto chips, a move sharply criticized by some Republican lawmakers.

• In a July 28 interview with Bloomberg, Secretary Raimondo said certain tariffs have been effective, such as the steel levies to counter an oversupply from China, but added that she didn’t necessarily disagree with Secretary Yellen’s comment that some tariffs hurt U.S. consumers.
• On July 16, 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce, along with the Department of State, the Treasury, and Homeland Security, jointly issued a Hong Kong Business Advisory. The advisory warned businesses about “the new legal landscape” in Hong Kong and four categories of potential risks associated with Hong Kong operations of these businesses: risks for businesses following the imposition of the NSL; data privacy risks; risks regarding transparency and access to critical business information; and risks for businesses with exposure to sanctioned Hong Kong or PRC entities or individuals.
• On July 9, 2021, the Commerce Department added 34 entities to the Entity List. According to the Commerce Department, 14 of these entities are based in China and have “enabled Beijing’s campaign of repression, mass detention, and high-technology surveillance” in Xinjiang, while five entities “directly supporting PRC’s military modernization programs related to lasers and C4IS.”

In Her Own Words

• On June 24, 2021, the Commerce Department added five Chinese entities to the Entity List for their alleged acceptance or utilization of forced labor “in the implementation of the People’s Republic of China’s campaign of repression against Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).” The sanction targets the ability of the Chinese entities to access commodities, software, and technology. As the State Department announced, this action is part of the joint efforts by the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Commerce, and Department of Labor to address “China’s ongoing human rights abuses and use of forced labor in Xinjiang.” 
• On June 23, 2021, Secretary Raimondo joined President Biden, Secretary Blinken, Ambassador Tai and European Union (EU) leaders at the U.S.-EU Summit, where she advances tech and trade issues with EU and private sector leaders.
• On June 10, 2021, Secretary Raimondo held what the Commerce Department termed as “an introductory call” with China’s Minister of Commerce, Wang Wentao. [U.S. Department of Commerce Readout] [Xinhua Report]
• On June 8, 2021, Secretary Raimondo applauded the Senate passage of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, a bill aimed at increasing U.S. competitiveness to counter countries such as China. She also urged the House to “take up this critical legislation as quickly as possible.”

In Her Own Words

• In May, 2021, Secretary Raimondo co-signed “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful,” a preliminary report that recommends “a ten-year, locally led campaign to converse and restore the lands and waters” of the United States.

In Her Own Words

• On April 8, 2021, the Department of Commerce added seven Chinese supercomputing centers to the Entity List, restricting trade with these entities. Secretary Raimondo released the following statement:

Supercomputing capabilities are vital for the development of many – perhaps almost all – modern weapons and national security systems, such as nuclear weapons and hypersonic weapons. The Department of Commerce will use the full extent of its authorities to prevent China from leveraging U.S. technologies to support these destabilizing military modernization efforts.

• In an April 1 interview with Bloomberg, Secretary Raimondo said that the U.S. tariffs on metal imports “have worked, insofar as they have leveled the playing field,” but noted that the tariffs aren’t perfect and “created other challenges.” The Trump administration implemented duties on steel and aluminum imports from many countries including China three years ago.

In Her Own Words

• In a March 31 interview with CNBC, Secretary Raimondo commented on the White House’s infrastructure plan. “This is about out-competing China,” she said. “If we act now … we will compete with China. There is time to do that, to rebuild, to build in semiconductors in particular, but we have to get to the business of doing it.”
• In a joint statement with European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders on March 25, 2021, Secretary Raimondo announced the decision to “intensify negotiations on an enhanced EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework” and said that the negotiations “underscore our shared commitment to privacy, data protection and the rule of law.”
• On March 17, 2021, the Department of Commerce served subpoenas on several Chinese companies that provide information and communications technology and services in the United States. The official press release noted that “the unrestricted use of untrusted ICTS poses a national security risk” and said “Beijing has engaged in conduct that blunts our technological edge and threatens our alliances.” The press release also said:

The Administration is firmly committed to taking a whole-of-government approach to ensure that untrusted companies cannot misappropriate and misuse data and ensuring that U.S. technology does not support China’s or other actors’ malign activities.

• In a March 4 interview with MSNBC, Raimondo said:“China’s behavior is anti-competitive, coercive. Their human rights abuses are horrific, and they need to be held to account for that,” as well as for dumping “excessive amounts of cheap steel and aluminum into America.” She also said that the Trump-placed foreign steel and aluminum tariffs have been “effective,” but noted that the Biden administration plans to do a top-to-bottom review of previous policies to “decide what it makes sense to maintain.” [Full interview here]

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• The Washington Post, “Biden’s commerce secretary pick pledges a tough line on China but doesn’t detail how she’d deal with Huawei,” January 26, 2021

In Her Own Words

• Full Confirmation Hearing
• Responses to Questions for the Record for Governor Gina Raimondo, January 27, 2021
• Testimony of Governor Gina M. Raimondo, Nominee to be Secretary of Commerce Before the Senate Commerce Committee, January 26, 2021

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