Janet Yellen weighs visit to China, her first as US Treasury secretary
- Discussions are still in the early stages and no decision has been made, with considerations including travel risks due to the coronavirus delta variant
- If the trip goes ahead, she is likely to meet Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He and would be the highest ranking Biden appointee to visit the country
Janet Yellen is weighing a trip to China in the coming months that would be her first as US Treasury secretary, people familiar with the matter said, as the Biden administration engages in a broad review of policy toward the Asian power and the tariffs on imported goods enacted under former president Donald Trump.
The Treasury Department’s discussions on a possible Yellen visit are in the early stages and no decision has been made, with considerations including travel risks stemming from the Delta variant of the coronavirus, the people said on the condition of anonymity because the deliberations are private.
If the trip goes ahead, she would be likely meet Vice-Premier Liu He – regarded as China’s top economic official – and would be the highest ranking Biden appointee to visit the country.
In response to a request for comment, Treasury spokeswoman Lily Adams said: “There are no plans for Secretary Yellen to travel to China in the fall.”
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Gloves off at top-level US-China summit in Alaska with on-camera sparring
A Yellen visit would mark the first face-to-face economic talks with China under the Biden administration, after top State Department officials held contentious meetings on two separate occasions.
A gathering in Alaska in March quickly descended into bickering and recriminations over human rights, trade and international alliances, while US officials visiting Tianjin last month heard counterparts say the US needed to stop criticising China’s political system and drop all sanctions and tariffs.