The US Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, has arrived in Beijing on a four-day trip that aims to tame spiralling tensions between the world’s two largest economies, particularly over trade and the hi-tech chip industry. It is the second visit by a US cabinet official this year and is expected to highlight both the interdependence and the mistrust that characterises the relationship between the two superpowers. It takes place against a backdrop of hostilities from both sides, with the biggest focus at present the clash over chips vital for advanced technology…
Tag: US foreign policy
Chip wars: how semiconductors became a flashpoint in the US-China relationship
As US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen heads to Beijing in an attempt to steady economic ties, high on the agenda will be how to navigate the growing chip war between China and the US. Despite diplomatic overtures from both sides, the competition in advanced technology between the two superpowers shows no sign of letting up. On Monday, Beijing set a hostile tone for Yellen’s trip as it set export restrictions on two minerals that the US says are essential to the production of semiconductors and other advanced technology. Chinese state…
US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen to visit China to build ‘healthy’ ties with Beijing
US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen will visit Beijing this week, marking the second trip by a cabinet official to China since ties between the world’s top two economies deteriorated earlier this year. Yellen is expected to discuss with her counterparts the importance for both countries “to responsibly manage our relationship, communicate directly about areas of concern, and work together to address global challenges”, said the Treasury Department in a statement on Sunday. Yellen’s planned trip from 6-9 July comes just weeks after secretary of state Antony Blinken met President Xi…
China reportedly rebukes US ambassador after Biden called Xi a ‘dictator’
The Chinese government has reportedly reprimanded the US ambassador to China over comments made by President Joe Biden in which he referred to President Xi Jinping as a “dictator”. Nicholas Burns received the diplomatic note hours after Biden made comments about Xi at a fundraiser in California, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing three unnamed US officials. At the fundraiser on Tuesday, Biden said that Xi was unaware of the alleged Chinese spy balloon that was shot down in US airspace in February, adding: “That’s a great embarrassment for…
Antony Blinken meets Xi Jinping in Beijing
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, is meeting China’s president, Xi Jinping, in Beijing. The talks between Blinken, who is on the first visit to China by a US secretary of state in five years, and Xi began at 4.30 pm (0830 GMT). Earlier on Monday Xi Blinken held extensive discussions with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi. Describing the US-China relationship as being at a low point, Wang said the root cause was the United States’ wrong perception of China. Blinken underscored the importance of open communication channels to…
Antony Blinken in China: all eyes on whether US secretary of state will meet Xi Jinping
Antony Blinken will meet China’s top diplomat and perhaps its president on Monday, on the final day of a rare visit aimed at trying to bring relations back from historic lows. In the first visit by a US secretary of state to China in five years, Blinken is set to meet Wang Yi but all eyes will be on whether he also meets president Xi Jinping, an engagement sources familiar with the matter said was expected but yet to be confirmed by the state department. On Sunday, Blinken held talks…
Blinken will seek China’s cooperation in curbing fentanyl at high-stakes visit
US secretary of state Antony Blinken will seek China’s cooperation in curbing the production of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl during his two-day visit to Beijing, one of several contentious issues that the high-stakes diplomatic outreach will touch on. Aides to Blinken have said the issue will feature prominently in discussions between US and Chinese officials during the trip as the US seeks China’s help in curbing Chinese manufacture of precursor chemicals used to create the drug that helped drive more than two-thirds of 100,000 American overdose deaths in each…
Antony Blinken begins China visit that spy balloon put off
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, arrived in China on Sunday on the highest-level trip by a US official in nearly five years – one due to have happened four months ago, until a Chinese spy balloon was caught flying over US soil. Neither side expects breakthroughs during Blinken’s two-day visit, with the world’s two largest economies at odds on an array of issues such as trade, technology and regional security. The two countries have increasingly voiced an interest in seeking greater stability and see a narrow window before…
Blinken visit seeks to ease fraught US relationship with China
In a long-awaited visit, the US secretary of state is due to arrive in China this week, where he is expected to meet with senior officials in an attempt to stabilise the fraught relationship between the two superpowers. The buildup to Antony Blinken’s China visit has been marred by a series of tense exchanges. On Wednesday Qin Gang, China’s foreign minister, told Blinken in a phone call that the US should stop interfering in China’s internal affairs. Qin also said that the US should respect China’s concerns on the “Taiwan…
China concerns prompt US move to rejoin Unesco
The UN’s cultural and scientific agency, Unesco, has announced that the US plans to rejoin – and pay more than $600m (£477m) in back dues – after a decade-long dispute sparked by the organisation’s move to include Palestine as a member. US officials say the decision to return was motivated by concern that China is filling the gap left by Washington in Unesco policymaking, notably in setting standards for artificial intelligence and technology education around the world. The US deputy secretary of state for management and resources, Richard Verma, submitted…