U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made an unusual gesture Saturday when she bowed to a Chinese official during her visit in Beijing.
Footage shows Yellen approaching Vice Premier He Lifeng — her Chinese counterpart — and bowing multiple times while enthusiastically shaking his hand.
Former White House staffer Bradley Blakeman, who served during President George W. Bush’s administration, told the New York Post that the gesture was unseemly.
“Never, ever, ever…an American official does not bow. It looks like she’s been summoned to the principal’s office, and that’s exactly the optics the Chinese love,” Blakeman said.
“Yellen’s flubs in China are not going to help the US stock market come Monday morning. Come home Janet!” “Taxifornia” author James V. Lacy wrote on Twitter.
During their meeting, He implied that the U.S. was an irrational actor towards China.
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U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen attends a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Saturday, July 8, 2023. (Mark Schiefelbein/POOL/AFP)
Fox News Digital reached out to the Treasury Department for a statement, but has not heard back.
