Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash, left, leads a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers including from left Chrissy Houlahan, Democratic member of House Armed Services Committee, Michael Baumgartner, Republican member of House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ro Khanna, Democratic member of House Armed Services Committee and David Perdue, US Ambassador to China for a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A., Pool)
US lawmakers visiting China seek to improve military cooperation
BEIJING (AP) 鈥 The United States wants to improve military-to-military ties with China, a U.S. lawmaker leading a bipartisan congressional delegation said Monday in a meeting with China’s defense minister in Beijing.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash, left, leads a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers including from left Chrissy Houlahan, Democratic member of House Armed Services Committee, Michael Baumgartner, Republican member of House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ro Khanna, Democratic member of House Armed Services Committee and David Perdue, US Ambassador to China for a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A., Pool)
BEIJING (AP) 鈥 The United States wants to improve military-to-military ties with China, a U.S. lawmaker leading a bipartisan congressional delegation said Monday in a meeting with China’s defense minister in Beijing.
The visit is the first from the House of Representatives to China since 2019, and comes as tensions have risen between the two countries over trade, technology and opposing views on global conflicts. A group of U.S. senators visited Beijing in 2023.
The current delegation is led by Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. The group met with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and separately, with Vice Premier He Lifeng, after on Sunday.
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鈥淲e want to open up better the lines of communication between our two countries in general, in particular between our defense (structures),鈥 Smith told Dong ahead of their meeting.
He added that he believed both China and the U.S. wanted to uphold global peace and security, which made it important for the sides to maintain open communication lines.
鈥淎nd 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,鈥 he added.
Dong said the lawmakers鈥 visit 鈥渟hows a good phase in strengthening China-U.S. communications,鈥 which 鈥渋s the right thing to do.鈥
U.S. and China for over a year starting in August 2022, following a visit by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. The visit angered Beijing, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary.
The sides in November 2023, after a rare meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and then-U.S. President Joe Biden.
President Donald said he would meet with Xi at a regional summit taking place at the end of October in South Korea and will visit China in the 鈥渆arly part of next year,鈥 following a lengthy phone call between the two on Friday.
The congressional delegation also includes Michael Baumgartner, a Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as Ro Khanna and Chrissy Houlahan, both Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee. The lawmakers are in China until Thursday.
