US Treasury Secretary visits China in a bid for de-escalation

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is set to meet with high-ranking Chinese officials, including Premier Li Keqiang, in Beijing on Friday in an effort to soothe the strained trade relations between the world's two largest economies.

Yellen's visit comes as American politicians call for "decoupling" the two economies to reduce Washington's dependence on the Asian giant, amid escalating geopolitical disputes.

This visit, which comes a few weeks after that of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, aligns with President Joe Biden's administration's desire to renew contact with Beijing, after three years of almost complete isolation of China due to the health crisis.

On her first trip to China since taking office in 2021, Yellen will meet with Premier Li Keqiang on Friday, who is particularly responsible for economic issues in his country.

A Treasury official said she managed to have a "genuine conversation" with her former counterpart, former Vice Premier Liu He, and also with the outgoing governor of China's central bank, Yi Gang.

The source added that the conversation "discussed global and individual economic prospects for the United States and China respectively".

Another Treasury official stated on Thursday that the United States does not expect specific progress during this visit but hopes for constructive exchanges that could pave the way for more concrete discussions.

On Thursday, Yellen affirmed that "this trip is an opportunity for communication and to avoid communication errors or misunderstandings".

Visits by heads of major companies -

The main point of contention concerns semiconductors, with restrictions imposed in recent months to cut off Chinese companies' supply of American technologies, including chips.

China, which seeks to become independent in this field, sees these measures as aiming to obstruct its development and maintain American superiority.

In what is widely considered retaliation, Beijing announced on Monday restrictions on exports of two rare metals essential for semiconductors, of which it is the main producer.

Ironically, since the lifting of health restrictions at the beginning of the year, a number of CEOs of major American companies have visited China, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Gates managed to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in his capacity as co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Elon Musk also met with high-ranking Chinese officials before heading to Shanghai to visit an assembly site for a giant factory opened by Tesla in 2019.

 

AFP