A bipartisan group of US lawmakers arrived in Beijing on Sunday for talks with Chinese officials, marking the first House of Representatives delegation to visit China in five years. The trip comes as Washington and Beijing intensify efforts to stabilize ties between the world’s two largest economies following years of heightened tension.
According to a media pool report organized by the US embassy in China, the delegation is scheduled to meet Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People. The visit was announced earlier this month and follows a phone call on Friday between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, in which both leaders signaled interest in managing differences and improving dialogue.
The talks are expected to touch on a range of contentious issues that have strained US-China relations in recent years. Among them are trade disputes, Washington’s restrictions on semiconductor technology exports, the ongoing debate over the ownership and operations of TikTok, Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, and Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory.
The delegation is led by Representative Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington state who serves as the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee and is a former chair of the panel overseeing the US Defense Department and armed forces. Smith has long advocated for dialogue with Beijing, stressing that open communication does not equate to endorsing China’s policies.
“Merely talking with China is not endorsing everything that they do,” Smith told NBC News earlier this month. “It’s like—China is a big, powerful country. We are a big, powerful country. I think we need to talk about that.”
The congressional trip coincides with renewed high-level engagement between the two militaries. Shortly after the visit was announced, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held his first call with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun. During the exchange, Hegseth emphasized that the United States does not seek conflict but would continue to defend its interests and commitments in the Asia-Pacific region.
The lawmakers’ visit underscores a broader push in Washington and Beijing to create channels for dialogue at multiple levels of government. Analysts say such exchanges are critical to preventing misunderstandings that could escalate tensions, particularly in areas where military and economic competition is most pronounced.
This delegation is seen as a test of whether congressional diplomacy can complement efforts by the White House to manage the complex relationship. While disagreements over trade, security, and technology remain unresolved, the fact that the visit is taking place after years of frozen exchanges is being viewed as a modest step toward keeping lines of communication open.
