"The goal truly is channels of communication and ensuring we don't veer into conflict - simple as that," said a senior Biden administration official. The Biden administration wants to counter the country's growing military without provoking a conflict and to push back on what it considers unfair business practices while avoiding an all-out trade war. "The criticism we get from some on (Capitol) Hill and some in the academic community, of course, is that competing means you can't talk to China," said the administration official. NO DELAY IN CHINA POLICIESAdministration officials acknowledge China may see the U.S. push to engage as a chance to weaken or slow Washington's policies targeting China, particularly on exports in strategic industries such as semiconductors, but deny that this is happening. The administration official denied the delays were to avoid upsetting China but were about "getting the technical pieces right, and balancing economic impact on our own domestic competitiveness."

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Persons: Antony Blinken, Leah Millis, Biden, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Ivan Kanapathy, Travis King, China –, Xi, San Francisco – doesn't, Mike Gallagher, Michael Martina, Humeyra Pamuk, Don Durfee Organizations: U.S, State Department, REUTERS, Rights, Biden, China, gaslight, White House National Security, Economic Cooperation, Republicans, China's Communist Party, CCP, Democratic, Inspur, Diplomats, Blinken, Thomson Locations: Mexico, Washington , U.S, United States, China, Beijing, U.S, stonewall, Asia, North Korea, San Francisco, CHINA, South China, Lincoln