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Janet Yellen mercilessly trolled for 'bobbing like a bird' in front of Chinese vice premier

Moments after the bowing gaffe, Janet Yellen, 76, tripped over He Lifeng's name, calling him 'Vice Premier Hu'

BEIJING, CHINA: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen became the target of jokes after making an unusual gesture by bowing multiple times to greet China's Vice Premier, He Lifeng, during her visit to Beijing. The Biden administration’s top economic official met Lifeng on Saturday, July 8, the second day of her four-day effort to mend fences with a major rival

A video capturing the moment showed how Yellen approached Lifeng and bowed multiple times while enthusiastically shaking his hand. As Yellen continued her greetings, President Xi Jinping’s new economy czar stood straight and moved back a bit to give her more space to bow. Former White House employee Bradley Blakeman, who worked under President George W Bush, told the New York Post that Yellen’s gesture was ‘unseemly’. “Never, ever, ever,” Blakeman said, adding, “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.”

Author Max Murray agreed with Blakeman, saying, "And it just shows the lack of effective leverage we have. She did not realize bowing as an American official was a breach of protocol. They don't reciprocate. He even backs away to give her more space to kowtow."

However, Yellen’s gaffes didn’t end there as she made another fumble by calling Lifeng “Vice Premier Hu” while opening the first official American meeting with the economic chief. “I strongly believe that the relationship between our two countries is rooted in the solid ties between the American and Chinese people,” Yellen said in her brief initial statement, running a finger along her lines as she spoke.

‘She was going to get the kneepads out’

Yellen’s gestures soon garnered immense social media attention, with many users calling the bow 'embarrassing' for the United States. 'Taxifornia' author James V Lacy wrote, "Yellen’s flubs in China are not going to help the US stock market come Monday morning. Come home, Janet!" A second social media user wrote, "Yikes. She looks like a bird bobbing like that," while the third said, "I thought she was going to get the kneepads out." One user fumed, "She got her economics degree when beaver pelts were considered a currency." A fifth user said, "Why in the hell did they allow her to go to China? I can’t figure it out. ChrisK." 

Why did Janet Yellen visit China?

Despite low expectations on both sides, Yellen started her four-day trip to China on Thursday, July 6. The goal of her trip is to reduce tensions between the world's two largest economies.

Soon after landing in the Chinese capital, Yellen said she was happy to be there and was looking forward to helping Biden advance the objective of fostering deeper contact between the two economically related but increasingly hostile nations.

During the meeting, Yellen emphasized the importance of increased communication and healthy economic rivalry and urged collaboration about the "existential threat" presented by climate change. "We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive," she told journalists at the US embassy in Beijing on Sunday, July 9. "Both nations have an obligation to responsibly manage this relationship: to find a way to live together and share in global prosperity," she added.

Beijing's official Xinhua news agency reported that an agreement to "strengthen communication and cooperation on addressing global challenges" was reached at the conference. Yellen’s trip came on the heels of Antony Blinken's visit, as part of a Biden administration push to improve communication between the two superpowers.