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US economic approach to China must be ‘serious, clear-eyed’, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says

  • While reiterating Washington seeks not to decouple from Beijing, treasury secretary outlines strategy to expand trade in the Indo-Pacific
  • Ensuring national security and advancing human rights form pillar of US economic strategy on China, Yellen adds

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US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during an event hosted by the Asia Society Policy Institute in Washington on Thursday. Photo: Bloomberg
Bochen Hanin Washington
Washington needs a “serious, clear-eyed” economic approach to China as it seeks to expand trade and diversify supply chains across allies and partners, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday.
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Speaking at the Asia Society in Washington in a speech reviewing the White House’s economic strategy for the Indo-Pacific, Yellen reiterated that the US did not seek to decouple from China.

“We have no interest in such a divided world and its disastrous effects,” she said.

But Yellen stressed there would be no compromising America’s goals of ensuring national security and advancing human rights.
Yellen with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng on July 8, 2023, in Beijing. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
Yellen with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng on July 8, 2023, in Beijing. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
That formed one of three pillars of the American economic strategy on China. The other two goals, she said, were seeking a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship, including by tackling unfair trade practices, and collaborating on global challenges like climate change and debt distress in low-income countries.
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