U.S. Republican Senator Steve Daines met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing with a group of seven American executives on Sunday, following an annual business summit in the Chinese capital attended by top foreign CEOs.
Daines was accompanied by Qualcomm (QCOM.O) CEO Cristiano Amon, Pfizer (PFE.N) CEO Albert Bourla, Cargill CEO Brian Sikes, Boeing (BA.N) Global Senior Vice President Brendan Nelson, and other executives at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, according to a foreign media pool report.
Daines' trip marks the first time a U.S. politician has visited China since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January. Beijing is seeking high-level dialogue with the new administration, with hopes of reaching a deal to avert further tariff pressure from Washington.
Daines, a staunch supporter of Trump and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was heavily involved in negotiations over U.S.-China trade during Trump's first term, and has made multiple trips to China as a senator.
He lived in Guangzhou and Hong Kong in the 1990s while working as an executive for Proctor & Gamble (PG.N), which he referenced in his opening speech.
"Collectively, these seven companies have over 275 years of experience of doing business in China," Daines said as he introduced the American CEOs, according to a pool transcript.
"These companies have each been here decades, growing the businesses, contributing significantly to growing the businesses and creating success."
Beijing has been trying to attract foreign investment to offset U.S. tariff pressure and its slowing domestic economy.
The U.S. executives were granted an audience with Li Qiang, who will not meet separately with other foreign CEOs at the China Development Forum for the second year in a row.
The annual closed-door meeting with the premier was traditionally viewed as a summit highlight by foreign CEOs, who saw it as an opportunity to air their concerns.
Relations between China and the U.S. have come under new strain after Trump slapped additional tariffs on Chinese goods, accusing Beijing of not doing enough to stem the flow of fentanyl into the United States.
In early April, Trump is expected to unleash a round of tariffs on all countries that tax U.S. imports, potentially including China. A U.S. review of whether China has fulfilled promises made during the "phase one" trade deal from Trump's first administration is set to conclude on April 1.
"Currently, U.S.-China relations have come to an important juncture," Li told Daines in their meeting, stressing the need to choose dialogue over confrontation.
"Our two sides need to choose dialogue over confrontation, win-win cooperation over zero-sum competition," Li said.
Other Chinese officials present at the meeting with Daines and the U.S. executives included Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, and the director of China's state planner, Zheng Shanjie.
The U.S. Embassy's newly arrived charge d'affaires, Anny Vu, was also present at the meeting.
