United States: Ms. Janet Yellen, the United States Treasury Secretary, will make a trip to Beijing this week, marking the second visit by a prominent official in a short span of time as the two largest economies in the world aim to mend strained relations.
According to a statement from the US Treasury Department, Ms. Yellen will be travelling to Beijing from July 6–9. China’s Finance Ministry also confirmed the visit in a statement.
During her visit, Ms. Yellen is expected to emphasise the importance of responsible management of the relationship between the two countries, direct communication regarding areas of concern, and collaborative efforts to tackle global challenges, as stated in the Treasury Department’s announcement.
This visit by Ms. Yellen comes shortly after US Secretary of State Antony Mr. Blinken’s meetings with China’s President Mr. Xi Jinping, diplomat Wang Yi, and Foreign Minister Mr. Qin Gang in Beijing in June. Mr. Blinken’s visit, the highest-ranking by a US official in nearly five years, resulted in an agreement with Mr. Xi to stabilise relations and prevent rivalries from escalating into conflict.
China protested loudly when US President Mr. Joe Biden subsequently referred to Mr. Xi as a “dictator”, but analysts say the remark had little impact on efforts to improve ties.
In Beijing, Ms. Yellen will meet senior Chinese officials and leading US firms, a Treasury official told journalists without going into specifics.
“We have concerns with the new measure and how it might apply, that it could expand the scope of what is considered by the authorities in China to be espionage activity,” the official statet, citing possible spillovers into the broader investment climate and the economic relationship.
Ties between the US and China have deteriorated over a range of issues, from the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic to the crackdown on the mostly Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang to trade and supply chain issues, as well as the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own.
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