A delegation of US lawmakers met with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun on Monday, marking the first visit by the House of Representatives to Beijing in six years. The talks were aimed at strengthening exchanges, particularly military-to-military communication.
The bipartisan delegation was led by US Representative Adam Smith of Washington, who is the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, an oversight body for the US Defense Department and armed forces. 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.” He added, “We want to open up the lines of communication, and in particular around military matters,” according to a pool report from the US embassy in Beijing.
The Trip Follows a Call Between Leaders
According to the pool report, Dong said the visit represented a “good” phase in efforts to strengthen China-US communication. China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported that he urged the lawmakers to “eliminate interfering and restrictive factors and adopt constructive and pragmatic measures” to help improve military-to-military and bilateral relations. Dong was quoted by Xinhua as saying that the Chinese military is willing to build stable and positive military ties based on respect and peaceful coexistence while safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and developmental interests.
The visit followed a phone call on Friday between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping as they sought a way out of strained relations exacerbated by trade tensions, US restrictions on semiconductor chips, the ownership of TikTok, Chinese activities in the South China Sea, and issues related to Taiwan. The two leaders agreed to have further talks on the sidelines of a forum in South Korea at the end of October. Trump also said he would visit China early next year, with Xi returning the visit to the US at a later date.
In a readout of the meeting issued in Washington, Smith stated that the US delegation also discussed the current status of economic negotiations, the impact of tariffs on bilateral trade, the need for China to help stop the flow of the deadly drug fentanyl to the US, and the ongoing negotiations on the future of TikTok. “The delegation discussed the issue of critical minerals and concerns with China’s actions to restrict the global supply and processing of rare earth minerals,” Smith said.
Smith added that the delegation emphasized the need to increase dialogue and transparency between the two countries, especially at the military-to-military level, and stressed that the US is seeking a peaceful resolution to the issue of Taiwan. In a separate meeting on Monday between China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng and the visiting US lawmakers, He urged Beijing and Washington to “engage in candid communication, enhance trust and resolve doubts” to develop stable, healthy, and sustainable trade and economic relations, according to Xinhua.
The US lawmakers were also welcomed by Premier Li Qiang, China’s second-highest political leader, on Sunday. Formal House visits had ended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and relations quickly deteriorated because of intense debate over the origins of the coronavirus that spread globally.
