diplomacy
US Treasury Secretary ends Beijing trip on a positive note
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a news conference. photo
© Mark Schiefelbein/AP/dpa
Janet Yellen held lengthy bilateral talks with Chinese government officials during her visit to China.
According to the US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen put bilateral relations between the two world powers on a “secure footing” during her four-day trip to Beijing.
As Yellen said today at a final press conference in the Chinese capital, there are “significant differences of opinion” between the two countries. Nevertheless, both nations have a duty to shape their relations responsibly. “We believe the world is big enough for both of our countries to prosper,” Yellen said.
In total, the 76-year-old had spent more than ten hours in bilateral talks with Chinese government officials, including Premier Li Qiang, in the past few days. According to media reports, her meeting with Finance Minister He Lifeng on Saturday alone lasted more than five hours, followed by a two-hour dinner.
No substantial breakthroughs
As was to be expected, Yellen’s visit failed to produce any substantial breakthroughs. However, the rhetoric and symbolism during the trip was comparatively positive and heartfelt.
In a first broadcast by the state news agency Xinhua, the Chinese side described the talks between Yellen and her counterpart He Lifeng as constructive, intensive and open. At the same time, the Chinese side also expressed its “concern about the sanctions imposed by the United States on China.”
Relations between the two world powers are currently at an all-time low. The relationship is strained by US President Joe Biden’s tough course on China, the ongoing trade war and China’s backing for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his war of aggression against Ukraine. China’s territorial claims in the South and East China Seas and Beijing’s threats to the democratic island republic of Taiwan also play a role.