U.S. Republican Senator Steve Daines met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Sunday, accompanied by a group of seven American business executives. This meeting could be monumental. It will be the first official visit here by any U.S. politician since President Donald Trump took office in January. The invite-only ASEAN Convening was intended to help repair increasingly tense ties between the two global economic leaders. Recent escalating tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have only compounded the crisis.
The American delegation included CEOs in spades. Others joined them, including Cristiano Amon of Qualcomm, Albert Bourla of Pfizer, Brian Sikes of Cargill, and Brendan Nelson of Boeing. As per a recent pool transcript, these companies combined have more than 275 years of doing business in China. The meeting saw the presence of China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, and Zheng Shanjie, Director of China's state planner.
Li Qiang highlighted the importance of today’s sensitive U.S.-China relationship and called for more constructive communication.
"Currently, U.S.-China relations have come to an important juncture," Li Qiang noted.
He further stressed the importance of cooperation over competition.
"Our two sides need to choose dialogue over confrontation, win-win cooperation over zero-sum competition," he added.
Senator Daines followed up on this idea, referencing the deep roots and historical contributions of American companies in China.
"Collectively, these seven companies have over 275 years of experience of doing business in China," said Daines.
"These companies have each been here decades, growing the businesses, contributing significantly to growing the businesses and creating success," he continued.
This meeting is very, very important. The move comes amid escalated tension between Washington and Beijing, especially after President Trump has repeatedly blamed Beijing for not stopping fentanyl from being shipped to the U.S. To make matters worse, the U.S. has consistently raised tariffs on Chinese imports, deepening bilateral tensions. Her visit comes just days before a critical public review. This second review is set to end on April 1 and will determine whether China has fulfilled its responsibilities under the “phase one” trade agreement.
The agenda for Daines’ trip to Beijing included the chance to sit down with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Saturday. The newly arrived charge d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy, Anny Vu, was there to listen to the negotiations.
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