Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrived in China Thursday to begin talks with the Chinese government about potential economic cooperation.
The visit comes amid increased tensions with China over trade, technology access, and international relations. It also follows a June trip made by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who attempted to decrease tensions between the United States and China.
Recent disputes over rare earth minerals, cloud computing, and Taiwan threaten to sabotage the talks. Yellen has suggested that the United States could be the first to make concessions, as she has previously questioned the effectiveness of tariffs imposed on China by the Trump administration.
Analysts have noted that while the trip is long overdue, it is unlikely that any major agreements will be made. Much of the trip will be reportedly spent getting officials from both countries to know one another.