The US official visits the Asian nation to strengthen ties between the two largest economies on the planet, which in recent years have grown significantly apart, due to the trade restrictions implemented by Washington on some strategic inputs, such as semiconductors.
“The fact that despite our recent tensions we set a record in bilateral trade in 2022 suggests that there is ample room for our companies to trade and invest,” he said.
Together with the Chinese vice premier and economic specialist, He Lifeng, Yellen said that the interaction must take place without falling into “controversies” that further strain the relationship between the two governments.
“In the face of a difficult economic landscape, there is a growing need for the two largest economies to communicate and exchange views,” he added.
China and the United States find more and more differences in their positions, such as the role of Beijing in international disputes such as the war in Ukraine and its pressure on Taiwan, at the same time that American companies affirm that the business climate in which it has been one of its main investment destinations has turned hostile.
Yellen is part of a list of US officials to visit China on high-impact diplomatic missions. John Kerry, the Joe Biden administration’s special envoy for climate change, will travel to Asia in the coming weeks.
