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Li welcomed the delegates led by Rep. Adam Smith and called it
an “icebreaking trip that will further the ties between the two
countries.”
“It is important for our two countries to have more exchanges
and cooperation, this is not only good for our two countries but
also of great significance to the world,” Li said.
Smith, a Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said
both sides were in agreement on the overarching aim of the
visit.
"Certainly, trade and economy is on the top of the list ... (but
also) we’re very focused on our military-to-military
conversations,” he said in opening remarks. “As a member of the
Armed Services Committee, I’m deeply concerned that our two
militaries don’t communicate more.”
The delegation also included Michael Baumgartner, a Republican
member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as Ro
Khanna and Chrissy Houlahan, both Democrats on the House Armed
Services Committee. The lawmakers are in China until Thursday.
U.S.-China relations have taken a downturn since President
Donald Trump's first term and have been hobbled by trade
tensions, the status of the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which
China claims as its own territory, Beijing's support for Russia
and China's vast claims in the disputed South China Sea.
“China and the U.S. are the two most powerful and influential
countries in the world, it’s really important that we get along,
and we find a way to peacefully coexist in the world," Smith
said. "I really welcome your remarks about wanting to build and
strengthen that relationship.”
Trump said he would meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a regional
summit taking place at the end of October in South Korea and
will visit China in the “early part of next year,” following a
lengthy phone call between the two on Friday.
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