US and China ‘talking past each other’ on key issues, says US lawmaker visiting Beijing

‘We’re still talking past each other‘

“You have to be willing to start the process of saying, ‘Okay, this is where I’m coming from, where are you coming from?’ And we’re not even at that point yet. We’re still sort of talking past each other,” Smith told reporters on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press (AP).

The delegation has raised concerns about China’s restrictions on exports of rare earths and called on Beijing to do more to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States, the House Armed Services Committee said in a statement.

‘Ships and planes coming too close‘

Smith also pointed to risks of military accidents, urging more dialogue between the two sides. “We’ve seen this with our ships and our planes, their ships, their planes, coming entirely too close to one another,” he said. “At the height of the Cold War, we had regular conversations, regular treaties with the Soviet Union.”

The US military said in October 2023 that a Chinese fighter jet had come within 10 feet of an American bomber over the South China Sea.

‘China’s door is always open‘

Later on Tuesday, Smith met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. According to AP, Wang told him that “China’s door was always open.”

Smith said he saw areas for cooperation beyond security. “There are many things that we can work together on because the capabilities of China, the capabilities of the US are the greatest in the world,” he said. “If we work together, there’s no end of the things that we can accomplish.”

Meetings with senior Chinese leaders

Since arriving on Sunday, the delegation has met Premier Li Qiang, Defence Minister Dong Jun, Vice Premier He Lifeng and Zhao Leji, head of China’s National People’s Congress.

Military communication between the two countries had been suspended for over a year after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in 2022, but resumed following a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and former US President Joe Biden in November 2023.

Trump to meet Xi

US President Donald Trump has said he will meet Xi at a regional summit in South Korea in late October and will visit China early next year, following a long phone call between the two leaders last week.

Alongside Smith, the delegation includes Republican Michael Baumgartner of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Democrats Ro Khanna and Chrissy Houlahan, both members of the Armed Services Committee. The lawmakers are in China until Thursday.