Officials from the United States and communist China met in Switzerland on Jan. 18, where they pledged to manage their differences and prevent ongoing competition between the two nations from spiraling into conflict.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in Zurich for the highest-ranking meeting between the United States and China since President Joe Biden met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in November 2022.
The readout also states that the leaders agreed to work to provide “support for emerging markets and developing countries in their clean energy transitions.”
The Treasury Department characterized the meeting as a “candid, substantive, and constructive” dialogue but noted that there was “a frank exchange of views” on certain issues.
“While we have areas of disagreement, and we will convey them directly, we should not allow misunderstandings, particularly those stemming from a lack of communication, to unnecessarily worsen our bilateral economic and financial relationship.”
The meeting comes as the United States grapples with China’s communist regime over the two powers’ highly entangled economies and tensions concerning the regime’s continued espionage, military buildup, and threats toward Taiwan.
Both nations’ economies are also currently suffering from a plethora of ills.
The death wave and the CCP’s years of lockdowns have shuttered untold numbers of businesses.
Yellen and Liu agreed that they would be willing to work with one another on issues of mutual importance in the future.
To that end, the Treasury’s readout states that Yellen intends to travel to China in the near future to help thaw tensions between the two powers.