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11/9/2023

Remarks by Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen Ahead of Bilateral Meetings with Vice Premier He Lifeng of the P…

Remarks by Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen Ahead of
Bilateral Meetings with Vice Premier He Lifeng of the People’s
Republic of China
November 9, 2023

As Prepared for Delivery
Vice Premier He, welcome to the United States. I appreciated the welcome you gave me when
I arrived in Beijing in July. And I am pleased to have this opportunity to host you in California
for our second meeting.
Iʼve spent much of my life in the San Francisco Bay Area and consider it my second home. Itʼs
also a place where the United Statesʼ ties to Asia are clearly apparent—from San Franciscoʼs
vibrant Chinatown to deep economic linkages.
Itʼs a fitting place to take forward the significant progress the United States and China have
made in deepening our communication. One year ago, President Biden and President Xi had
their first in-person meeting. In July, I traveled to Beijing and had extensive o icial talks over
two days with Premier Li, you, and other members of the new Chinese economic team. In
recent weeks, the Vice Minister-level Economic and Financial Working Groups between the U.S.
Treasury and Ministry of Finance and PBOC met for the first time.
I hope to build on this strong foundation with an open and substantive discussion over the
next two days. As Iʼve said, the United States has no desire to decouple from China: A full
separation of our economies would be economically disastrous for both our countries, and for
the world. We seek a healthy economic relationship with China that benefits both countries
over time. When we have concerns about specific economic practices, such as those that
prevent American firms and workers from competing on a level playing field, we will
communicate them directly.
Beyond our bilateral economic relationship, I look forward to discussing our collaboration on
global challenges, from climate change to debt distress in low-income countries and
emerging markets. As the worldʼs two largest economies, we have an obligation to lead on
these and other issues, for the people in our countries and around the world.

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11/9/2023

Remarks by Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen Ahead of Bilateral Meetings with Vice Premier He Lifeng of the P…

We will also further our discussions on the use of economic tools for national security
purposes. The United States will continue to take targeted actions to protect our and our
alliesʼ national security. But we are also committed to communicating clearly about these
actions to prevent any misunderstandings or miscalculations. And we welcome more clarity
on Chinaʼs thinking and actions.
Again, a warm welcome to California, and I look forward to our discussion.
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