WASHINGTON—A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives will make an official trip to China later this month, led by Democratic U.S. Representative Adam Smith.
Smith, a U.S. representative from the Washington state, is the former chair of the House Armed Services Committee and the current top Democrat on the panel. A committee staffer confirmed Smith’s plan to lead the delegation to China but could not provide other details.
NBC News first reported the planned trip, citing an interview with Smith. The exact timing of the trip was not immediately clear.
Smith told NBC News that both Democratic and Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee would participate in the trip, but its chair, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), would not be a part of the delegation.
The trip will take place during strained ties between Washington and Beijing over issues like trade tariffs, technology, cybersecurity, the ownership of TikTok, the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Chinese regime’s policies related to Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Beijing and Washington agreed on August 11 to extend their tariff truce for another 90 days, locking in place U.S. levies of 30 percent on Chinese imports and 10 percent Chinese duties on U.S. goods.
“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 told NBC News in an interview.
“Merely talking with China is not endorsing everything that they do. It’s like China is a big, powerful country. We are a big, powerful country. I think we need to talk about that,” he said.
Asked if the lawmakers would meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Smith told the media outlet: “We’re asking. We don’t know yet.”
By Reuters
