Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is packing her bags for China, making her the second person from President Biden’s cabinet to visit Beijing since their efforts to steady the rocking U.S.-China relationship got underway.
Yellen’s four-day trip is designed to engage high-ranking Chinese officials and American business leaders in a series of important discussions. As Beijing confirms her arrival this week, Yellen’s visit casts a promising, if cautious, light on future diplomatic relations.
However, let me make it clear; we should manage our expectations and not hope for immediate substantial breakthroughs.
Yellen has a diplomatic mission
Barely a month has passed since Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China, a move aimed at restoring a sense of equilibrium to the relationship.
The two global powers have been treading on thin ice since 1979 when they first established diplomatic ties. Yellen’s visit arrives on the back of an agreement between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
However, this agreement was unhinged after a suspected Chinese spy balloon trespassed on U.S. airspace earlier this year.
As Yellen heads to China, she carries with her the aspirations of improved and more frequent communications. It is not just about creating friendly discourse but stabilizing relations, clearing misunderstandings, and nurturing collaboration wherever feasible.
The focus of her discussions will be the ‘three pillars’ of the U.S.-China economic relationship that she previously described in her speech in April. Security, fairness, and global cooperation, especially in areas such as debt relief and climate, are at the heart of these pillars.
Navigating through economic and legal complexities
As China continues its uphill battle to regain economic stability after three long years of pandemic-induced strain, Yellen’s visit could not be more timely. Speculations of a stronger stimulus plan from Beijing are rife as China’s economy recovery appears to be slowing.
Furthermore, the nation’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, has a new face, technocrat Pan Gongsheng, signaling changes at the top.
However, the trip isn’t devoid of challenges. There are still major points of contention between the U.S. and China that need to be addressed. Beijing’s increased military activity around Taiwan and the introduction of counter-sanctions and anti-espionage laws continue to sour relations.
Moreover, China holds the U.S. responsible for its involvement in Taiwan and the imposed export controls that have hindered its ability to secure advanced chips.
Yellen intends to address these issues, particularly the anti-espionage law and a recently enacted foreign relations law that grants Beijing the power to counteract security-related actions from the West.
The impact these laws might have on foreign companies, particularly U.S. firms, is a concern Yellen will not shy away from addressing.
Yellen’s diplomatic voyage to China takes on an even greater significance given the recent tussle involving Micron, an Idaho-based memory-chip manufacturer, which Beijing barred from supplying critical Chinese infrastructure operators.
Viewed as a retaliatory move against Washington’s export controls targeting Chinese companies, this topic might make its way onto Yellen’s agenda.
The journey may be uncertain, the process complex, but it is one the U.S. and China must undertake together.
