Yellen arrived in Beijing on Thursday to try to repair fractious U.S.-Chinese relations, but made clear in her public remarks that Washington and its Western allies will continue to hit back at what she called China's "unfair economic practices."
She said she hoped her visit would spur more regular communication between the two rivals, and said any targeted actions by Washington to protect its national security should not "needlessly" jeopardize the broader relationship. U.S. officials have downplayed the prospects for any major breakthroughs, while highlighting the importance of more regular communications between the world's two largest economies.
U.S. companies in China hope Yellen's visit will ensure trade and commercial lanes between the two economies remain open, regardless of the temperature of geo-political tensions. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Beijing last month and agreed with Xi that the mutual rivalry should not veer into conflict, and Biden's climate envoy John Kerry is expected to visit later this month.
At the same time, she said she would raise concerns with Chinese officials about Beijing's use of expanded subsidies for state-owned enterprises and domestic firms, barriers to market access for foreign firms, and its recent "punitive actions" against U.S. firms.