Yellen Calls China Meetings 'Productive', Seeks Level Playing Field

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (L) and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (R) arrive for a bilateral meeting at the Guangdong Zhudao Guest House in Guangdong province, China, 05 April 2024.  EPA/Andy Wong / POOL
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (L) and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (R) arrive for a bilateral meeting at the Guangdong Zhudao Guest House in Guangdong province, China, 05 April 2024. EPA/Andy Wong / POOL
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Yellen Calls China Meetings 'Productive', Seeks Level Playing Field

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (L) and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (R) arrive for a bilateral meeting at the Guangdong Zhudao Guest House in Guangdong province, China, 05 April 2024.  EPA/Andy Wong / POOL
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (L) and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (R) arrive for a bilateral meeting at the Guangdong Zhudao Guest House in Guangdong province, China, 05 April 2024. EPA/Andy Wong / POOL

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Saturday she had "productive conversations" with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on the bilateral economic relationship after two days of meetings in China's southern export hub of Guangzhou.
"The US seeks to create a level playing field for American workers and firms, as well as deeper cooperation on illicit finance, climate change and other priorities," Yellen said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Her post did not directly mention her top priority for her four day visit to China: to try to persuade Chinese officials to rein in excess production capacity for electric vehicles, solar panels and other clean energy technology that are threatening competing firms in the US and other countries, Reuters said.
Chinese state media pushed back on her excess capacity arguments, calling them a "pretext" for protectionist US policies.
Such comments seek to undermine China's domestic growth and international cooperation, and Washington should focus on fostering innovation and competitiveness within its own borders instead of resorting to "fear-mongering," state news agency Xinhua said in an editorial late on Friday.
Yellen, He Lifeng and their teams held over four and a half hours worth of meetings on Saturday on a range of economic topics, with US concerns about China's growing exports of electric vehicles, solar panels and other goods the biggest priority for the Treasury chief.
Yellen is expected to speak with reporters later on Saturday.
Yellen told US businesspeople in China's southern export hub of Guangzhou on Friday that concerns are growing over the global economic fallout from China's excess manufacturing capacity, making the issue the focus of her four days of meetings with Chinese officials.
Citing China's overproduction of electric vehicles, solar panels, semiconductors and other goods that are flooding into global markets in the face of a demand slump in China's domestic market, Yellen said this was not healthy for China and was hurting producers in other countries.
"Talking up 'Chinese overcapacity' in the clean energy sector also smacks of creating a pretext for rolling out more protectionist policies to shield US companies," Xinhua said.
"After all, it is now known by the world that Washington will not hesitate to show its protectionist teeth under the guise of national security in areas where its supremacy is challenged."
Yellen met with Vice Premier He Lifeng and Guangdong Province Governor Wang Weizhong in Guangzhou after arriving in China late on Thursday.
She is to travel later on Saturday to Beijing, where she will meet officials including Premier Li Qiang, Finance Minister Lan Foan and People's Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng through Monday, according to a Treasury press advisory.



Egypt Raises Fuel Prices for First Time in 2025

Representation photo: Arley Perez pumps diesel fuel into his truck at a Shell station on April 10, 2025 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP
Representation photo: Arley Perez pumps diesel fuel into his truck at a Shell station on April 10, 2025 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP
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Egypt Raises Fuel Prices for First Time in 2025

Representation photo: Arley Perez pumps diesel fuel into his truck at a Shell station on April 10, 2025 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP
Representation photo: Arley Perez pumps diesel fuel into his truck at a Shell station on April 10, 2025 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP

Egypt hiked prices on fuel products on Friday by up to almost 15%, state media reported, marking the first increase in 2025 as the government seeks to reduce fuel subsidies as required by the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) $8 billion support package.

The increases of between 11.76% and 14.81% on a wide range of fuel products come almost a month after the IMF approved the disbursement of $1.2 billion to Egypt following completion of the fourth review of its loan program signed last year.

Egypt has taken on back-to-back financing facilities with the IMF since 2016, when it agreed a $12 billion loan program to resuscitate its economy after years of political turmoil since the Arab Spring protests began.

Since then, the lender has pushed the government to cut fuel, electricity and food subsidies while expanding social safety nets.

The fund said in March that Egypt was committed to lowering its energy subsidies to reach cost recovery by December as it works to reduce a wide current account deficit, reported Reuters.

Prices for diesel fuel, one of the most commonly used fuels in the country, were raised by 2 Egyptian pounds ($0.0390) to 15.50 pounds per liter from 13.50 pounds.

Gasoline prices increased by as much as 14.5% depending on the grade, with 80 octane gasoline rising to 15.75 pounds, 92 octane to 17.25 pounds and 95 octane to 19 pounds.

Meantime, the prices of the butane cooking gas were hiked to 200 pounds per cylinder from 150 pounds.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said in March that by the year's end the government will have stopped petroleum subsidies from being a financial strain, but it will continue to subsidize diesel to some degree and will not price it at 100% of its cost.

Egypt still spent about 10 billion Egyptian pounds ($197.71 million) on fuel subsidies each month, despite having raised prices three times in 2024, Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi said in October following the last hike that ranged between 11% and 17%.

Egypt in 2024 witnessed a sharp decline in revenues from its Suez Canal, a main source of foreign currency for the government, as the war in Gaza led Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen to attack vessels transiting the Red Sea in support of Palestinians.

That, combined with diminishing local natural gas production which Egypt had even begun exporting, has compounded the country's economic woes and left it strapped for dollars.

Egypt needs these dollars to import natural gas, petroleum and wheat for its sprawling food subsidy program that feeds more than 62 million people.

Since early 2022, the foreign currency shortage has curbed local business activity and led to backlogs at ports and delays in payments for commodities, forcing Egypt to request a 46-month expanded loan from the IMF.

The pound has since lost more than two-thirds of its value against the dollar in a series of staggered devaluations, while petrol prices in Egypt remain some of the lowest in the world.