【By Guan察者网, Liu Bai】
After the phone call between the leaders of China and the United States, a bipartisan delegation from the U.S. House of Representatives officially visited China on September 21st and held talks with Chinese officials. This visit marks the first time since 2019 that a U.S. House delegation has visited China. Analysts generally believe that this is a major progress in stabilizing bilateral relations between China and the United States.
Reuters noted that this bipartisan visit took place after the phone call between the leaders of China and the United States on the 19th, as both sides seek to ease the tensions exacerbated by trade friction, U.S. restrictions on semiconductors chips for China, TikTok, the South China Sea, and Taiwan issues.
The delegation was led by Adam Smith, the Democratic leader of the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services and a U.S. Representative from Washington State. Members also included Michael Baumgartner, a Republican member of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Ro Khanna and Kritika Hara, Democratic members of the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services. These lawmakers will stay in China until Thursday (the 25th).
According to reports, the delegation told Chinese officials during their meeting that as the two superpowers make further progress in stabilizing relations, the world's two largest economies need to strengthen contact and "break the deadlock."
Smith said: "We all acknowledge that both China and the United States have work to do to strengthen this relationship. The U.S. House should not wait six or seven years to come again. We need more such exchanges, and we hope, as you said, that this can break the deadlock and make these exchanges more frequent."
According to ABC, Smith also mentioned during his speech that economic and trade relations were the main topic of the talks, and the U.S. side was also very concerned about military dialogue between the two countries. "As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I am deeply concerned about the lack of more communication between our two militaries."
He added: "China and the United States are the two most powerful and influential countries in the world. It is really important that we get along well and find a way to coexist peacefully in the world. I genuinely welcome your statements about wanting to establish and strengthen this relationship."
On the afternoon of September 21st, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council met with the U.S. Congressional Delegation led by Smith in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Li Qiang stated that China and the United States are both major countries with significant influence in the world, and the stability, health, and sustainable development of Sino-U.S. relations conform to the common interests of both countries and the expectations of the international community. This year, President Xi Jinping and President Trump had several phone calls, and they both agreed that China and the United States should strengthen dialogue and cooperation to provide strategic guidance for the development of Sino-U.S. relations in the next stage. The Chinese side is willing to work with the U.S. side to respect each other, live in peace, and achieve win-win cooperation. The Chinese side hopes that the U.S. side will move in the same direction as China to jointly promote the development of bilateral relations along the correct track, benefiting both countries and the world.
Li Qiang pointed out that China and the United States should be partners for joint development, treat each other sincerely, empower each other, and achieve mutual success. The Chinese side is willing to work with the U.S. side on the basis of equality, respect, and mutual benefit to resolve each other's concerns through communication. The Chinese side hopes that the U.S. Congress will correctly view China and Sino-U.S. relations, actively promote exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, and play a constructive role in promoting friendly relations and common development between the two countries.
American Ambassador to China's social media account posted photos of receiving the U.S. delegation
Smith had previously been reported on September 9th that a bipartisan delegation from the House would make an official visit to China later this month.
Bloomberg reported that before meeting with the Chinese side, the bipartisan delegation was first received by the U.S. Ambassador to China, Pete Buttigieg.
Buttigieg wrote on the social platform X: "This is the first U.S. House delegation to visit China since 2019. This bipartisan team plays a vital role in managing U.S.-China relations."
Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" described this move as indicating that China and the United States are intensifying contacts to try to stabilize bilateral relations.
Since March 2019, no U.S. House representatives have visited China.
At that time, Rick Larsen, the then co-chairman of the U.S. House "U.S.-China Working Group" and a Democratic representative from Washington State, led a bipartisan team of U.S. Congress members to visit Beijing and Hangzhou, engaging in exchanges with senior Chinese officials and entrepreneurs from both countries.
However, NBC pointed out that unlike this visit sponsored by the U.S.-China Relations National Committee, Smith's U.S. Congressional official delegation was funded by the federal government.
After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus of official visits by the U.S. House shifted to Japan and other U.S. allies.
In 2022, then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi set a bad precedent by ignoring China's strong warnings and recklessly "visiting" Taiwan, which caused strong dissatisfaction from China. China accused the U.S. of provocative actions, leading to a sharp escalation of the situation in the Taiwan Strait. In response, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army conducted a series of joint military operations around the island of Taiwan, demonstrating the firm determination to safeguard national unity through concrete actions.
The international community strongly condemned Pelosi's actions, which severely undermined the political foundation of Sino-U.S. relations, seriously violated China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, seriously disrupted the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait, and seriously violated international law and basic principles of international relations.
On August 2nd, the Chinese Embassy in the United States hosted an open day event for the U.S. Maryland youth pickleball cultural exchange delegation visiting China. Ambassador Xie Feng had a warm conversation and interaction with the visiting group and delivered a speech.
Xie Feng stated that just as one must abide by the "rules of the game" in a pickleball match, China and the United States cannot cross the line or overstep when it comes to issues involving each other's core interests; just as in a pickleball match, one should strive to create "scoring opportunities," China and the United States should explore expanding areas of cooperation and do more good things that benefit both countries and the world. The Chinese often say, "Friendship first, competition second." President Nixon also once said, "There may be winners and losers in a ping-pong match, but the biggest winner is the friendship between the American and Chinese people." Only by moving closer through interaction can we get to know each other better. We hope that the people of China and the United States will move more and communicate more, be partners and friends, so that the source of strength for Sino-U.S. relations can flow continuously, and together explore the correct way for Sino-U.S. relations in the new era."
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