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Yellen to return to China, press equivalents on excess factory capability threat

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will go back to China today to continue her financial discussion with top Chinese authorities amidst a new emphasis on the threat to global economies from the Asian superpower's. growing excess commercial capacity, the Treasury Department stated. on Tuesday.

The April 3-9 trip, which will be Yellen's second in-person. visit to China as Treasury Secretary, will consist of a drop in the. southern factory and export hub of Guangzhou before Beijing. She. checked out Beijing in July 2023 to re-establish ties after years of. frosty relations.

Her trip was announced as U.S. President Joe Biden and. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday held their first direct. talks given that November in which Taiwan stress and U.S. nationwide. security curbs on the sale of high-technology goods to China. took center stage.

Xi warned Biden that the U.S. was creating threats by. reducing China's trade and innovation advancement, Xinhua. news company priced estimate the Chinese leader as saying.

Yellen's dialogues with top Chinese officials have actually been. partly targeted at attempting to alleviate stress over China-related. security constraints, with explanations that they are narrowly. targeted and not focused on de-coupling the world's two largest. economies.

In Guangzhou, Yellen will meet with her primary. counterpart, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Guangdong Province. Guv Wang Weizhong and executives of U.S. business in. China, the Treasury Department stated. She will hear first-hand. about company environment challenges that are triggering U.S. companies. to restrict their financial investment in China.

Yellen last met with He in November 2023, ahead of the. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Top in San Francisco, where. Biden also consulted with Xi.

Since Yellen's first visit to Beijing last July, she and He. have actually released financial and monetary working groups that fulfill. virtually. Discussions so far have mostly concentrated on financial. concerns facing each nation and their policy reactions, such as. China's property market troubles that have actually undermined consumer. confidence, or failures of two significant U.S. local banks last. year.

CAPACITY CHALLENGE

The increased U.S. focus on Chinese excess capability. represents a shift in the conversations. China's exports have been. growing at a time of weak domestic demand. Xi has pledged to. let loose brand-new productive forces in China by investing in. developing innovation industries including electric cars. ( EVs), brand-new products, business spaceflight and life sciences.

Yellen said recently at a Suniva solar module factory near. Atlanta that Chinese government assistance has actually resulted in significant. overinvestment in steel, aluminum and other industries, paving. the way for low-cost exports that have forced manufacturing to. contract in other market-driven countries.

Now, we see excess capability structure in 'new' markets. like solar, EVs, and lithium-ion batteries, Yellen stated throughout. her journey recently, including this was misshaping rates and. production patterns and harming workers in the U.S., European. Union and other economies.

Asked if she would raise the risk of new trade barriers on. her next China see, Yellen said she did not wish to enter into. retaliation, adding: We want to see what we can do that's. positive.

The EU is examining whether China's EV market is. gaining from unfair aids, a probe that could cause. tariffs to protect European carmakers. The U.S. Commerce. Department has actually opened a probe into whether Chinese automobiles position. nationwide security dangers due to the information they transmit, and. U.S. lawmakers have prompted Biden to hike tariffs on Chinese EVs.

A U.S. Treasury official informed reporters that Yellen throughout. her approaching China trip would explain the worldwide economic. consequences of Chinese industrial overcapacity undercutting. makers in the U.S. and companies around the world.

The authorities, speaking on condition of anonymity, said U.S. and Chinese officials would likely talk about currency matters as a. regular part of their economic talks, but declined to discuss. recent weakness in China's yuan currency.

The authorities included that Yellen would look for even more. cooperation in locations mutually helpful to both nations,. including battling environment modification, combating illegal funding. and narcotics trafficking and supplying relief to. debt-distressed developing countries.

(source: Reuters)