On Sunday, during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with Chuck Todd, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo revealed that she was the target of a cyber intrusion by Chinese entities before her diplomatic mission to China.
Discussing the trip and the broader dynamics of the U.S.-China rivalry, Todd highlighted the hacking incident, remarking, “It’s almost as if they were mocking us – as though to say, ‘You might visit, but we’re already privy to what you know.’ Despite this, as I saw in the report, you addressed the issue head-on. It rather signals their reluctance to engage genuinely.”
Raimondo replied, “Indeed, they did target me in a cyber-attack, and I didn’t take it lightly. I confronted them directly about it, and not just this – I voiced our broader national security worries and labor and business concerns. I was forthright.”
She continued, “However, the intricacies of our relationship with China are undeniable. It’s an intense competition on multiple fronts, and anyone underestimating that is simply not in touch with reality.”
The breach of Raimondo’s email servers occurred in July, coinciding with a more expansive cyber onslaught affecting nearly 24 global entities. In August, Raimondo visited China to engage with Chinese and American corporate figures for “productive dialogues regarding the U.S.-China trade ties,” as a recent press release stated.
The Commerce Department is responsible for the “entity list,” which enlists overseas entities barred from acquiring American tech without a valid license. This list encompasses more than 600 Chinese enterprises.
In related news, President Biden, in August, endorsed an executive directive curbing investments in Chinese industries that bolster their military capabilities. However, this order doesn’t impact current assets and introduces certain exemptions that curtail its overall reach.
The Commerce secretary, joining a lineup of high-ranking Cabinet members who recently visited the country, unveiled a fresh “working group” focusing on trade matters and initiated a new dialogue for “information exchange.” Other notable officials who recently journeyed to China include Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and CIA Director Bill Burns.
