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2023-06-14 07:59阅读：
Yellen Says Bid to Decouple From China Would Be
'Disastrous'
The Treasury secretary, speaking to a House committee, said trade
and investment were crucial in U.S.-Chinese relations.
By Alan Rappeport
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said on Tuesday that it would be
a mistake for the United States to try to “decouple” from China and
called for deepening economic ties between the world’s two largest
economies.
The comments came as the Biden administration has been seeking to
improve relations with China, which faced a setback this year when
a Chinese surveillance balloon was found flying across the United
States. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is planning to travel
to Beijing next week, and Ms. Yellen hopes to make
a trip there soon.
Speaking at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on
Tuesday, Ms. Yellen made clear that she believes the economic
relationship with China is critical.
“I think we gain and China gains from trade and investment that is
as open as possible, and it would be disastrous for us to attempt
to decouple from China,” Ms. Yellen said.
The United States maintains tariffs that the Trump administration
imposed on billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese imports, and the
Biden administration is developing new restrictions on how U.S.
companies can invest in China. But Ms. Yellen said that the United
States intended only to “de-risk” the relationship and that it had
no intention of inflicting economic harm on China.
“I certainly do not think it is in our interest to stifle the
economic progress of the Chinese people,” Ms. Yellen said. “China
has succeeded in lifting hundreds of millions of people out of
poverty, and I think that’s something that we should
applaud.”
Although she struck an accommodating tone, Ms. Yellen also laid out
concerns likely to arise in meetings with her Chinese
counterparts.
Because of national security concerns, she said, the administration
is considering restrictions on American private equity firms’
investments in Chinese firms that have connections with China’s
military. She also said the Treasury Department was examining
additional sanctions on China in response to human rights abuses
against Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
In recent months, the United States has been ratcheting up pressure
on China to provide debt relief to Zambia and other developing
countries. Ms. Yellen lamented that despite some signs of a
willingness to cooperate and help poor countries avoid defaults,
China had not done enough. She emphasized a growing need for
international financial institutions like the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund to help the most vulnerable
economies.
“These institutions reflect American values,” Ms. Yellen said. “It
serves as an important counterweight to nontransparent,
unsustainable lending from others like China.”
Asked about Ms. Yellen’s comments on Tuesday, Wang Wenbin, a
spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, rejected the idea that the
I.M.F. or the World Bank is meant to further American
interests.
“The I.M.F. is not the I.M.F. of the United States, nor is the
World Bank for that matter,” he said.
Janet Yellen says IMF, World Bank are important
counterweights to China
By Christopher Condon
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday will cast international
financial institutions as American-aligned counterweights to
China's growing influence in the developing world, as she seeks to
garner congressional support for US financial backing of those
lenders.
In the face of what's likely to be Republican scepticism when she
testifies on Capitol Hill, Yellen will laud institutions like the
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank that 'reflect
American values.'
'Our leadership at these institutions is one of our core ways of
engaging with emerging markets and developing countries,' she said
in the text of testimony she's scheduled to deliver at 10 a.m.
before the House Financial Services Committee. 'The IFIs provide
real resources to tackle the challenges the world faces from
weathering economic storms to spurring long-term economic
development.'
The aid, she added, 'serves as an important counterweight to
nontransparent, unsustainable lending from others, like
China.”
The Treasury chief's remarks showcase the battle lines between the
world's two largest economies as they vie for influence in the
developing world. China has become the largest official lender to
many of the poorer nations across the globe. Asked about Yellen's
forthcoming remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin
said the IMF and World Bank should reflect the interests of 'all
member states.'
'The IMF and World Bank are multilateral financial institutions,
they are platforms reflecting greater democracy in international
relations, and they are platforms for international cooperation,'
he told reporters at a regular press briefing in Beijing on
Tuesday.
