US officials head to China for talks amid overcapacity concerns

Senior US and Chinese economic officials will meet for discussions in Beijing this week as the Biden administration seeks to – once again – make its case for Beijing to avoid roiling the rest of the world with an industrial policy that has stoked manufacturing exports.

During the talks of the so-called Economic Working Group, due to take place September 19-20, the US Treasury will lay out its concerns about China’s economic trajectory, especially its macroeconomic imbalances and industrial overcapacity, an official from the department said.

The Treasury official added that the US is concerned about Chinese policymakers’ preference to push manufacturing even further as China’s growth driver, with significant spillovers to American firms and workers.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has repeatedly warned that China’s overcapacity threatens to flood global markets with artificially cheap goods, killing off industries in the US and globally.

In May, the US increased tariffs on a range of Chinese-made products, and Yellen has been at the forefront of urging US allies also to act on the issue.

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Why the EU, US are concerned about China’s overcapacity

Why the EU, US are concerned about China’s overcapacity