U.S. Republican Senator Steve Daines met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Sunday alongside seven senior American executives, as Beijing seeks to ease tensions and avoid additional tariffs ahead of a key trade deal review. The talks marked the first official visit to China by a U.S. politician since former President Donald Trump assumed office in January.
The meeting took place at the Great Hall of the People, following an annual business summit in the Chinese capital attended by major foreign CEOs. Daines, a staunch Trump ally and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was accompanied by top executives including Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, Cargill CEO Brian Sikes, and Boeing Global Senior Vice President Brendan Nelson, according to a foreign media pool report.
"Collectively, these seven companies have over 275 years of experience of doing business in China," Daines stated during the meeting. "These companies have each been here decades, growing the businesses, contributing significantly to growing the businesses and creating success."
Premier Li underscored the critical point in U.S.-China relations, stressing the necessity of engagement over conflict. "Currently, U.S.-China relations have come to an important juncture," Li told Daines. "Our two sides need to choose dialogue over confrontation, win-win cooperation over zero-sum competition."
The U.S. delegation's visit comes as the Trump administration prepares to finalize a review by April 1 of whether Beijing has honored its commitments under the "phase one" trade deal negotiated during Trump's first term. The outcome may trigger additional tariffs, adding pressure to a relationship already strained by accusations from Washington that China has failed to curb the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.
Adding to these tensions, Trump is expected to roll out tariffs in early April targeting nations imposing taxes on American imports, potentially including China.
Chinese officials present at the meeting included Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, Executive Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, and Zheng Shanjie, director of China's state planner. The U.S. Embassy's newly arrived chargé d'affaires, Anny Vu, also attended the session.
Notably, this year marks the second consecutive year Premier Li has refrained from holding one-on-one meetings with other foreign CEOs at the China Development Forum, a venue historically seen by international business leaders as a critical opportunity to directly address Beijing's leadership.
Daines' relationship with China is longstanding. Prior to his political career, he spent several years living in Guangzhou and Hong Kong during the 1990s while working as an executive for Procter & Gamble. As a senator, he played a key role in U.S.-China trade negotiations during Trump's presidency and has made multiple trips to the country.
On Saturday, Daines met separately with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. According to a post he shared on X, Daines emphasized the need for China to stop the flow of fentanyl precursors and voiced optimism that additional high-level talks between the two nations could take place in the near future.
