US Lawmakers To Visit China This Month

A bipartisan delegation from the US House of Representatives is set to visit China later this month, led by Democratic Representative Adam Smith.

Smith, who represents Washington state, is the former chair of the House Armed Services Committee and currently serves as its ranking Democrat. A committee staffer confirmed that he will head the delegation but declined to share further details.

NBC News first revealed the planned trip in an interview with Smith, though the exact dates have not yet been confirmed. According to Smith, members from both parties on the Armed Services Committee will join, but its current chair, Republican Representative Mike Rogers, will not be part of the group.

The visit comes amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Beijing over trade, technology, cybersecurity, TikTok’s ownership, the origins of COVID-19, and policies concerning Hong Kong and Taiwan. On August 11, both countries agreed to extend their tariff truce for another 90 days, maintaining 30% US duties on Chinese goods and 10% Chinese tariffs on US imports, but progress beyond the pause remains uncertain.

“This is about opening dialogue between the US and China, and I think that’s important,” Smith told NBC News. “Talking with China doesn’t mean endorsing everything they do. They’re a big, powerful country, and so are we. We need to have those conversations.”

When asked whether the delegation would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, Smith said, “We’re asking. We don’t know yet.”

The planned visit follows Xi’s warning last week at a military parade in Beijing — where he stood alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — that the world was facing a choice between peace and war.