‘Traitors & US Spies’: Just for lunching with Janet Yellen, Chinese women economists trolled online

A group of Chinese female economists have been branded as traitors by netizens in their country. Their crime? Having lunch with US Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen. Over the weekend, the women economists were lambasted on Chinese social media apps by netizens who accused them of being “radical feminists.” Some even said that the women have committed treason for meeting Yellen. On Saturday, Yellen met six female economists in Beijing to highlight gender diversity following meetings with China’s largely male government leaders. Although the Treasury Secretary did not mention the names of the women she met for lunch, some people identified them on the Chinese equivalent of Twitter Weibo. In one such post, a user identified one of the economists as Hao Jingfang, saying that she is “not only a traitor but also a radical feminist.”

An absolute honor to dine with @SecYellen during her visit to Beijing, with local young female economists. Have admired her work for long, on labor and macro, academia and policy. She is highly intellectual and incredibly gracious--an inspirational role model. pic.twitter.com/meVo7k0Bs7

— Qian Liu (@QianLiuChina) July 8, 2023

Hao, in response, wrote, “Yellen is the friendliest American official, she is always dedicated to developing friendly China-US relations". The other economist Liu Qian, the Economist Group’s managing director for Greater China, was also identified by netizens mostly because they she posted her experience of meeting Yellen online. Some users called Yellen an “obviously dangerous person” asking why she was allowed to be officiated as a public guest in the country, while others called out the female economists as being pro-American. “Look at the bunch, the anti-espionage law might come in handy,” wrote a user called Shan3847, while another user wrote “Everyone around the table should be caught, no one is innocent. The United States is always so kind to help us expose the rebels.” Meanwhile, Yellen’s meet with the six women economists was symbolic as it emphasised the importance of female representation in decision-making processes in largely male-dominated Chinese politics. “I see it all the time when I’m almost the only woman in the room,” Yellen said. She added, “I’m sure many of you have that same experience at decision-making tables.” Chinese President Xi Jinping has been known for excluding women from top leadership positions. Under his leadership, the ruling Communist Party has seen the number of women in politics and top government roles declines and gender gaps in the workforce widen, with the government emphasizing more traditional roles for women. With inputs from agencies