Kathmandu: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said her visit to Beijing has marked a “step forward” in efforts to stabilise relations between the two countries.
Yellen spoke at the end of a four-day trip, during which talks were held over issues including climate change.
She described the talks as “direct, substantive and productive” and said both sides had learned more about each other.
However, she admitted the US and China still had “significant disagreements”, as reported by BBC.
The US-China relationship has deteriorated in recent years. Issues dividing the countries include human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, territorial claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea and Beijing’s growing domination of a host of industries.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, who was among those to meet with Yellen, said on Saturday he regretted “unexpected incidents” – such as the row over a spy balloon – had hurt ties with the United States.
Yellen stressed the need for better communication in order to try and overcome these issues, adding that US President Joe Biden did “not see the relationship between the US and China through the frame of great power conflict.
According to official figures, China exported more than $536bn (£422.3bn) worth of goods to the US last year, while $154bn of goods went in the other direction.
(News Source: BBC)