The U.S. lawmaker leading a bipartisan delegation from Congress to China told the Chinese defense minister on Monday that the United States wants to “open up the lines of communication” between the two countries, especially with regard to military ties between the U.S. and China.
The Associated Press reported that the first official delegation from the House of Representatives to China since 2019 is currently visiting China and will remain in the country until Thursday. The outlet noted that the delegation, which is led by Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, met with Premier Li Qiang on Sunday and with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and Vice Premier He Lifeng on Monday.
In addition to Smith, the U.S. congressional delegation includes Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-Wash.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee; and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), another member of the House Armed Services Committee, according to The Associated Press.
In a statement obtained by Reuters, Smith told Dong, “We are the first delegation from the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and we feel strongly that there should be more frequent visits and more robust conversation.”
“We want to open up the lines of communication,” Smith added. “And in particular around military matters.”
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According to The Associated Press, the military communications between the United States and China were temporarily suspended in August of 2022 after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited Taiwan; however, military communication between the two countries was reestablished in November of 2023 following a meeting between former President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
During Monday’s visit with Dong, Smith explained that maintaining communication between the United States and China is important since he believes both the U.S. and China want to promote peace and security across the world.
“And we have disagreements, without question, but I think it makes it all the more important that we have open discussions about how to resolve those differences,” Smith stated.
Addressing the delegation’s visit to China, Dong said it “shows a good phase in strengthening China-U.S. communications” and emphasized that improving communications between China and the United States “is the right thing to do.”
The Associated Press reported that the congressional delegation’s visit to China comes after President Donald Trump had a phone call with Xi on Friday. The outlet noted that Trump confirmed he will meet with the Chinese president at a summit in South Korea in October and that he will also visit China in the “early part of next year.”
