Summary
- Bipartisan House delegation to visit China in September.
- First official House trip since 2019.
- The group led by Rep. Adam Smith, includes Armed Services members.
- The visit aims to foster U.S.-China dialogue amid tensions.
According to the news, it would be the first official visit by members of the House of Representatives since 2019.
According to the news, U.S. Representative Adam Smith of Washington state, the former chair of the House Armed Services Committee and current top Democrat on the panel, is organizing the U.S. congressional delegation to China.
Smith confirmed the trip to the news organization on Tuesday.
Smith announced that the House Armed Services Committee's chair, Republican U.S. Representative Mike Rogers, would not be traveling with the delegation, but both Democratic and Republican members would.
A request for comment was not immediately answered by Smith's office.
The visit will occur amid tense relations between Washington and Beijing over matters such as trade tariffs, cybersecurity, technology, TikTok ownership, and Hong Kong and Taiwan policy.
"I think it's fairly significant. It's part of wanting to try to open up a dialogue between the U.S. and China. And I personally think it's important that you do that,"
Smith said in an interview.
What are the main goals of the upcoming China visit for U.S. lawmakers?
The goal of the trip is to reconnect U.S. congressional leaders to their counterparts in China, as there has been a break in relations since 2019, and to help facilitate better mutual understanding in relations that are strained from many directions.
Members of Congress are expected to discuss the various areas of tensions with China, including the trade tariffs, technology restrictions, cybersecurity, TikTok, and policy areas related to Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The delegation wants to have substantive conversations about economic cooperation on items such as trade, market access, and stability in the global supply chain, with tariffs and sanctions still in place.