U.S. lawmakers seek to improve military-to-military ties with China in Beijing visit

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers visiting Beijing on Monday said Washington seeks to improve military-to-military ties with China, the first House delegation to visit the country since 2019. The delegation is led by Rep. Adam Smith, Democrat of Washington and chair of the House Armed Services Committee. The lawmakers met Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and, after talks with Premier Li Qiang on Sunday, also held a session with Vice Premier He Lifeng.

Smith told Dong that the United States wants "to open up better the lines of communication between our two countries in general, in particular between our defense structures." He added that, despite disagreements, it is important to have open discussions about how to resolve those differences. Dong said the visit "shows a good phase in strengthening China-U.S. communications," adding that maintaining dialogue is "the right thing to do."

These talks come as tensions have risen over trade, technology and competing views on regional conflicts. U.S.-China military communications were suspended for more than a year beginning in August 2022 after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan; they were restored in November 2023 following a meeting between Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden. The current delegation also includes Rep. Michael Baumgartner, a Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, along with Democrats Ro Khanna and Chrissy Houlahan of the House Armed Services Committee. The lawmakers are in China through Thursday.

Observers say the visit signals a continued effort to normalize high-level contact amid a fraught relationship, with both sides noting the need to keep lines open even as substantive disagreements persist. The delegation's trip comes as Washington and Beijing seek to calibrate their competition and cooperation on issues from Taiwan to Asia-Pacific security to technology governance. In broader terms, the trip reflects ongoing U.S. interest in preventing miscalculation and managing crisis risks while seeking greater transparency through dialogue.