Yellen Plans China Trip as Washington, Beijing Work to Revive Ties, Wall Street Journal, Jan. 18, 2023.
Two nations seek to improve relationship after acrimony over Taiwan and trade
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will travel to China soon, the Treasury Department said, a step aimed at rebuilding a U.S.-China relationship that has deteriorated in recent years.
Wednesday’s announcement came after Ms. Yellen met with Lui He, President Xi Jinping‘s top economic adviser, in Switzerland, where Ms. Yellen stopped before a multicountry trip through Africa. The world’s two largest economies are trying to resume diplomatic engagements that largely stalled amid tensions over Taiwan and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Both Ms. Yellen and Mr. Liu said it was important for the two countries to communicate more, echoing commitments that Mr. Xi and President Biden made at a meeting in November. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to China next month. “While we have areas of disagreement, and we will convey them directly, we should not allow misunderstandings, particularly those stemming from a lack of communication, to unnecessarily worsen our bilateral economic and financial relationship,” Ms. Yellen said at the beginning of the meeting. The Treasury Department said Chinese officials would also visit the US soon. Mr. Liu is expected to step down from his post in March as part of a broader turnover in the Chinese government, and US officials aren’t sure who will be Ms. Yellen’s next counterpart. The Treasury didn’t announce dates or plans for the trips. “Right now, it seems that we do face some problems, but as President Xi said, we only have one planet Earth and there are always more solutions than problems,” Mr. Liu said.