A bipartisan group of US lawmakers on Sunday pushed for more military-to-military dialogue in a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強), a rare US congressional visit since US-China relations soured.
The last trip by a group of senators was in 2023, and Sunday’s delegation was the first from the US House of Representatives to visit Beijing since 2019.
Li welcomed the delegates led by US Representative Adam Smith and called it an “ice-breaking trip that would further the ties between the two countries.”
Photo: EPA
“It is important for our two countries to have more exchanges and cooperation. This is not only good for our two countries, but also of great significance to the world,” Li said.
Smith, a Democrat on the US House Representatives’ Armed Services Committee, said both sides were in agreement on the overarching aim of the visit.
“Certainly, trade and economy is on the top of the list ... [but also] we’re very focused on our military-to-military conversations,” he said in opening remarks. “As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I’m deeply concerned that our two militaries don’t communicate more.”
The delegation also included US Representative Michael Baumgartner, a Republican member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as US representatives Ro Khanna and Chrissy Houlahan, Democrats on the Armed Services Committee. The lawmakers are in China until Thursday.
US-China relations have taken a downturn since US President Donald Trump’s first term and have been hobbled by trade tensions, the status of Taiwan, Beijing’s support for Russia and China’s vast claims in the disputed South China Sea.
“China and the US are the two most powerful and influential countries in the world. It’s really important that we get along, and we find a way to peacefully coexist in the world,” Smith said. “I really welcome your remarks about wanting to build and strengthen that relationship.”
Trump said he would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) at a regional summit taking place at the end of next month in South Korea and would visit China in the “early part of next year,” following a lengthy phone call between the two on Friday last week.
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