BEIJING The United States and China agreed to launch an export control enforcement information exchange and a new working group on commercial issues, the U.S. Commerce Department said on Monday, giving Beijing a potential forum to express concerns.

After meetings between U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, the department said the exchange would provide a platform to reduce misunderstanding of U.S. security policies.

The first in-person meeting will occur at the assistant secretary level at the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing on Tuesday, the statement said. China has sharply criticized U.S. efforts to block China's access to advanced semiconductors through export controls, but Raimondo has said those are not open for debate.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)