US Treasury’s Bessent, China’s He trade economic complaints in call
Voice of America
FILE - U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks at the White House in Washington on Feb. 3, 2025. Bessent spoke with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng by phone on Feb. 21, expressing frustration with that nation's efforts at rebalancing its economy.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent traded policy complaints with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Friday, with Bessent telling Beijing to do more to curb fentanyl trafficking and rebalance its economy, and He voicing concerns about President Donald Trump’s new tariffs, the two governments said.
FILE - U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive for a news conference in the White House on Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington.
FILE - Somali National Army soldiers stand guard against al-Shabab militants in the Middle Shabelle region in Somalia, Dec. 10, 2012. Somali officials say more than 100 militants were killed Feb. 20, 2025, during al-Shabab attacks on military bases in the region.
FILE - Geir Pedersen, the United Nations' special envoy to Syria, speaks to journalists in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 18, 2024. FILE - Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa walks in the presidential palace in Damascus, Dec. 28, 2024.
South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a hearing at his impeachment trial over his short-lived imposition of martial law, at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, Feb. 20, 2025.
FILE - A poster of Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is seen along a road in Kabul, Aug. 14, 2023. ICC chief prosecutor’s announced, Jan. 23, 2025, seeking arrest warrants for Akhundzada and a close associate accused of crimes against humanity.
Ivorian troops take part in a ceremony marking the handover to them of the French military base in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Feb. 20, 2025. The sign reads: "See you soon."
FILE - The National Endowment for Democracy's Democracy Service Medal is displayed at the Library of Congress in Washington.
FILE- The "Visit Rwanda" logo is seen on the sleeve of Arsenal's Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard during a club friendly football match between Arsenal and Sevilla at the Emirates Stadium in London. July 30, 2022.
FILE - German Economy Minister Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wear protective suits during their visit to the semiconductor manufacturer of Infineon Technologies AG in Dresden, Germany, July 13, 2023.
FILE - Workers inspect railway tracks, which serve as a part of the Belt and Road freight rail route in Sichuan province, China, March 14, 2019.
FILE - Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivers a speech during the Heads of State of Central Asia Summit session in Astana, Kazakhstan, Aug. 9, 2024. (Kazakhstan's Presidential Press Service/handout via AFP)
This photograph shows a damaged hospital following a Russian drone strike in Odesa on Feb. 19, 2025.