Unpacking Secretary Yellen’s Trip to Beijing: A Conversation with Meg Rithmire

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Professor Meg Rithmire to discuss U.S.-China economic relations and Secretary Janet Yellen’s recent visit to Beijing. Professor Rithmire explains that the main goal of Secretary Yellen’s visit was to convey the United States’ willingness to discuss difficult issues with Beijing and that the United States does not seek to contain or decouple with China. She explains China’s internal economic challenges and details that, in China’s perspective, its economic challenges can be tied to U.S. trade restrictions. The future of U.S.-China economic relations is still fragile and a long way from stable, Professor Rithmire argues, but both sides are attempting to make improvements by having more frequent meetings. 

Professor Meg Rithmire is an associate professor in the Business, Government, International Economy Unit at the Harvard Business School. She is also a faculty associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Fairbank Center for East Asian Studies at Harvard, and the Harvard Faculty Committee on Southeast Asia. Professor Rithmire’s primary expertise is in the comparative political economy development with a focus on China and Asia. Her work focuses on China’s role in the world, including Chinese outward investment and lending practices and economic relations between China and other countries, especially the United States.