Photo: Global Times

Talks between Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Zurich this week would have lasted longer if the US official hadn't needed to catch a flight, according to exclusive details revealed on Thursday by Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV.

The Zurich meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, lasted about three hours, longer than scheduled, Yuyuan Tantian said, citing details noticed by a CCTV reporter on site.

The reporter shared some further details about the talks, saying it was noticeable that the US side had taken a proactive attitude to the meeting by granting a longer time for reporters to film the opening remarks.

The US side was responsible for arranging the venue and filming of the meeting and journalists were given seven to eight minutes to film the interactions between the two sides, a lot longer compared with the usual one to two minutes, the reporter added.

It was the first face-to-face talk between Liu and Yellen since Yellen assumed her post as US Treasury Secretary, although they have held three virtual meetings since mid-2021. It also marked the first time that reporters were able to observe the real state of communication between the two sides.

The atmosphere of the talks was also very harmonious, according to the CCTV reporter. The talks came a day after China announced to the world that its economy would return to normal growth in 2023.

In response to the world's queries, China has responded confidently and frankly that it will not move toward a planned economy, but rather will remain open to the outside world, the report said.

"Openness is exactly what China-US relations need," Yuyuan Tantian commented.

Yellen did not attend the Davos Forum this time, meaning that the main purpose of her visit to Switzerland was to meet with the Chinese side, the report said.

The theme of this year's forum was "Cooperation in a Fragmented World." Against this backdrop, it is of great significance that China and the US have agreed to strengthen cooperation during the meeting.

The two sides agreed that the world's economic recovery is at a critical stage and it is in the interests of both countries as well as the whole world for China and the US to strengthen macro-policy communication and coordination and to jointly address challenges in the economic and financial fields, Xinhua reported.

The two officials had professional, in-depth, candid and pragmatic exchanges on the global and bilateral macroeconomic and financial situation and on tackling common global challenges, Xinhua reported.

But there was another detail. In the photo, Yellen held out one arm instead of two, which to some extent reflects the hesitant and conservative forces in the US and a lack of self-confidence, Yuyuan Tantian commented.

China said it welcomes US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Yellen to visit China. Whether the door between China and the US can be opened will be a test of state of mind and the US should ask itself whether it is prepared, Yuyuan Tantian said.