How long will US-China ‘window of opportunity’ last in afterglow of Janet Yellen’s visit?

US treasury secretary’s trip avoided ‘worse than the worst’ scenario, raising hopes for further thaw ahead of climate envoy John Kerry’s visit

Yellen’s ‘candid, pragmatic’ approach a breath of fresh air, but it’s up to Washington to put relations back on track, observers say

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US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s China visit was well received in Beijing, but “significant disagreements” remain between the two economic giants. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:00pm, 11 Jul 2023

China and the US should seize “a window of opportunity” to mend their strained ties following US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s relatively smooth China trip, observers said, and with climate envoy John Kerry set to visit soon, hopes have grown for continued dialogue before a summit later this year.

Although there were no breakthroughs from her four-day trip to Beijing, Yellen appeared to have enjoyed a warmer reception and media coverage in China compared to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his ice-breaking trip to the capital last month.

Chinese officials and state-controlled media applauded Yellen for her pragmatism and non-confrontational approach and generally responded positively to her appeal for “healthy economic competition” with China.

According to observers, Beijing’s message was clear: it still desires better relations with Washington and is ready to talk, but it is up to the administration of US President Joe Biden to take the initiative to put bilateral ties back on track.

In a statement on Monday, China’s Ministry of Finance spoke highly of Yellen’s visit and her “candid, pragmatic, in-depth and constructive” meetings with several Chinese officials. It called on the Biden administration to adopt a “rational and pragmatic” attitude toward China and “take concrete actions to respond to China’s major concerns about US economic sanctions and suppression”.

Lu Xiang, an expert on US affairs at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that with the resumption of high-level exchanges, both countries had “a window of opportunity” to stabilise ties.

“Although there are no substantive results, Yellen’s trip was a success as the atmosphere has visibly improved, avoiding a ‘worse than the worst’ scenario,” he said. “Although bilateral relations are still far from bottoming out, both sides have at least expressed their desire to move forward and improve ties.”