U.S.'s Yellen kicks off China visit with both sides locked in confrontation
By Andrea Shalal and Yew Lun Tian
BEIJING (Reuters) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrived in Beijing on Thursday to begin a four-day visit expected to focus on recalibrating ties between the world's two largest economies, although both sides have low expectations for the outcome.
While Beijing wants more dialogue to improve economic ties, it has accepted that both countries have placed safeguarding their own national security above economic ties.
Chinese analysts have told state media that Yellen's April speech, which ranked securing the national security interests of the U.S. and its allies as the top plank of America's economic policy with China did not inspire optimism for the visit.
Zhu Feng, a professor of international relations at Nanjing University, told the Global Times newspaper that Yellen's emphasis on national security meant the U.S. was unlikely to stop the «economic and technological suppression» of China.
Yellen, who landed at Beijing's Capital Airport aboard a U.S. government aircraft, will emphasise the need to work with Beijing on climate change, pandemic preparedness and debt distress, a senior U.S. Treasury official said previously.
She will also tell her Chinese counterparts that Washington is not seeking to decouple the two economies, while reserving the right to protect human rights and U.S. national security interests through targeted actions, the official added.
Even though no major breakthroughs are expected, U.S. officials say Yellen will push to open new lines of communication and coordination on economic matters, and stress the consequences of supplying lethal aid to Russia, an assertion China has adamantly rejected.
When Chinese ambassador Xie Feng met Yellen in Washington on
Read more on investing.com
