China welcomes Janet Yellen visit but ‘strongly opposes US coercion’, Beijing says

Official comments are latest in wake of ‘spy balloon’ debacle that resulted in a cancelled China trip by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

US Treasury Secretary Yellen had said on Wednesday that she still hoped to visit China, without giving specific details

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Ministry of Commerce spokeswoman Shu Jueting says US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is welcome to visit China. Photo: Weibo

Published: 6:02pm, 9 Feb 2023Updated: 6:03pm, 9 Feb 2023

China would welcome a visit by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, as it is important for the world’s two largest economies to keep lines of communication open, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

Yellen had said on Wednesday that she still hoped to visit China to discuss economic issues with her Chinese counterparts, after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled his planned trip this month following Beijing’s acknowledgement that a suspected surveillance balloon detected over the US was from China.

The incident triggered a diplomatic row and further strained already frayed tensions between the countries. Yellen did not offer further details about the potential trip.

“It is very important for both sides to maintain normal communication. China welcomes a trip by Secretary Yellen,” ministry spokeswoman Shu Jueting said at a regular weekly press conference in Beijing.

Blinken had planned to visit Beijing on February 5 as both sides were looking to abate the spiralling tensions, but the two ended up exchanging barbs after the US shot down the suspected spy balloon. China contended that it was merely an errant civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research, and that it had drifted off course.

Shu’s remarks, however, stood in contrast to those by a senior Chinese diplomat who suggested this week that a visit by Blinken would be pointless, given Washington’s provocation of Beijing in regard to core issues.

“In my opinion, the so-called visit is inappropriate, because the US has recently carried out many anti-China activities, including in military planning, technology, the Taiwan question and other aspects,” said Lu Shaye, China’s ambassador to France, according to an interview transcript released by the Chinese embassy on Wednesday.