[Beijing Diary] Yellen's 'Culinary Diplomacy' Dominates Real-Time Search Rankings

Among the six-day (April 4-6) visit of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to China, the aspect that attracted the most attention from the media and the public was her "culinary diplomacy (烹?外交)." Although Secretary Yellen did not personally prepare the food, in China, exchanging or sending messages through food is commonly referred to as culinary diplomacy. Compared to her visit to China last July, her improved chopstick skills and deeper understanding of Chinese cuisine dominated real-time search rankings on portal sites and were widely discussed for quite some time.

Locally, there was even a joke that this visit was a "gourmet trip." On the first day of her visit, upon arriving in Guangzhou, Secretary Yellen dined at Tao Tao Ju, a Michelin-recognized dim sum restaurant, where she ate shrimp dumplings, red rice cheung fun, and stir-fried wood ear mushrooms. It is reported that she requested the restaurant to open the partitions set up to create a more communal atmosphere, indicating her desire to mingle with Guangzhou citizens. Based on the menu items ordered and the number of people in her party, social media speculated that the meal was a cost-effective one, costing about 130 yuan (approximately 24,700 KRW) per person.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The same applied when she arrived in Beijing, often called the "food desert" among Chinese people. She sat at an open table in the Sichuan restaurant Lao Chuan Ban and chose dishes such as stir-fried spinach, boiled beef, stir-fried beans, mapo tofu, and dandan noodles. Lao Chuan Ban even created and promoted a "Yellen set menu" featuring 12 dishes. Later, at Jing A, a craft beer specialty bar located in Sanlitun, one of China's representative bustling districts, she drank an India Pale Ale (IPA) named "Fei Quan (飛拳·Punch)." After taking a sip, she nodded several times and praised it as "excellent."

Chinese local media Xiangguan News introduced, "Secretary Yellen's chopstick skills have improved compared to last year, and her detailed experience, including how she orders food, has become richer, impressing people online." They also explained the reason she deliberately visits exposed restaurants, stating, "There is an assessment that she intends to use culinary diplomacy to bring relations with the U.S. back on track," adding, "When political and economic heavy topics and sharp conflicts and frictions are unavoidable, the cultural elements contained in 'food' can act as a lubricant in bilateral relations."

The media focused on the fact that Secretary Yellen extended her visit by two days compared to last year and expanded her interactions not only with officials but also with civilians while traveling between Beijing and Guangzhou. Guangzhou, the first destination, is the forefront of China's electric vehicle industry, and drinking beer in Sanlitun, a district influenced by Western culture, was also analyzed as a choice reflecting China’s major trade partnerships. Moreover, Jing A, the brewery where Yellen drank beer, was co-founded by Americans, and the Fei Quan beer she drank was brewed with American hops. Given that China, a major player in the global grain market, has recently been reducing imports of U.S. soybeans, corn, and wheat, Yellen’s beer drink sparked various interpretations.

The schedule of what the U.S. Treasury Secretary ate and drank during her visit to China may not hold significant meaning from a Korean perspective. However, it is worth noting that China is curious about her itinerary and menu, meticulously recording every move and seeking the underlying meanings. Even after searching through years of memory, no Korean figure who recently visited China has attracted such attention from the media and public. While China has withdrawn interest in the nuances of Korea, behind-the-scenes contacts between the U.S. and China are becoming more active.