A group of US lawmakers arrived in China on Friday for talks, Reuters reported, quoted by News.bg.
This is the first House delegation to visit the country since 2019, at a time when the world's two largest economies are trying to stabilize their relations through increased political dialogue.
The bipartisan delegation will meet with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
The visit, announced earlier this month, follows a phone call on Friday between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Both sides are seeking to overcome a period of tension deepened by trade disputes, U.S. restrictions on semiconductor chips, questions over TikTok ownership, Chinese activity in the South China Sea and the status of Taiwan, which Beijing considers its territory.
The delegation is led by Democratic Congressman Adam Smith, the former chairman and current ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, which oversees the U.S. Department of Defense and the armed forces.
On September 9, Smith stressed the importance of dialogue:
““Just talking to China is not an endorsement of everything they do. China is a big, powerful country. We are a big, powerful country. I think we need to talk,“ he said.
Shortly after the visit was announced, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held his first conversation with his Chinese counterpart, Don Jun. Hegseth said the US is not seeking conflict with China but will defend its vital interests in the Asia-Pacific region.