US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen will meet her Chinese counterpart Liu He in Zurich this week, in a surprise move that signals Washington and Beijing’s commitment to improving ties between the two nations despite simmering tensions over trade and Taiwan.
The US Treasury said that Yellen would meet vice-premier Liu He, China’s finance minister, in Switzerland on Wednesday morning, ahead of her planned 10-day trip to Africa, during which Yellen intends to entice nations on the continent away from their financial ties to Beijing and Moscow.
It will be the first in-person meeting for Yellen and Liu, who have spoken virtually three times.