“I’m not in a position to confirm some of the accounts you read but we would be concerned if we were to see not only the PRC itself engaging in this but … PRC companies doing this,” Price said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
“Obviously there is close synergy, cooperation, coordination between the PRC government and companies operating in and out of the PRC, and in all of our conversations, we have emphasised to our PRC counterparts the importance that we attach to this,” he continued.
“I suspect it’s something that we’ll discuss in the coming days when [Blinken] has an opportunity to travel to Beijing,” Price added.
Blinken plans to travel to the Chinese capital next month as part of a “step ladder” of meetings between senior US and Chinese officials.
The trip is part of an effort to halt further deterioration in a bilateral relationship full of outstanding disputes over human rights, trade practices and efforts by the US to prevent Chinese companies from acquiring advanced semiconductors and other hi-tech products.
If both sides see it as a success, Blinken’s trip may lead to President Xi Jinping’s attendance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, to be held in San Francisco in November.
