China’s Prime Minister Tian (R) greets Pfizer CEO Albert Brula from a delegation led by Sen. Steve Daines earlier than the assembly held in Fujian, held on the Individuals’s Convention in Beijing on March 23, 2025.
ng han guan | AFP | Getty Photographs
US Republican Sen. Steve Daines met with a gaggle of seven American executives in Beijing on Sunday with Chinese language Prime Minister Li Qiang.
Daines accompanied me Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, Cargill CEO Brian Sikes; Boeing In accordance with a report from Overseas Media Pool, there are international senior vice chairman Brendan Nelson, and different executives from Beijing’s Nice Corridor of the Individuals.
Daines’ journey will mark the primary time a US politician has visited China since US President Donald Trump took workplace in January. Beijing is asking for a excessive degree of dialogue with the brand new administration within the hopes of reaching a deal to keep away from additional tariff strain from Washington.
A stable supporter of Trump and a member of the Senate Overseas Relations Committee, Daines was deeply concerned in negotiations on US-China commerce throughout Trump’s first time period, and made a number of journeys to China as a senator.
He lived in Guangzhou and Hong Kong within the Nineteen Nineties. Proctor & Gamblehe talked about in his opening speech.
“Collectively, these seven corporations have over 275 years of expertise doing enterprise in China,” Daines mentioned they launched the American CEO, in accordance with Poole’s transcript.
“Every of those corporations have been right here for many years, and are rising their companies and making a giant contribution to their enterprise progress and success.”
Beijing is making an attempt to draw overseas funding to offset US tariff strain and slowing the home financial system.
US executives have been given an viewers to Li Qiang, who has not met individually from different overseas CEOs of the China Improvement Discussion board for the second yr in a row.
Annual closure conferences with the Prime Minister had been historically thought-about the spotlight of a summit by overseas CEOs.
China-US relations are beneath new tensions after Trump slapped extra tariffs on Chinese language items and accused Beijing of not sufficient to halt fentanyl’s stream to the US.
In early April, Trump is predicted to unlock tariffs in all international locations that probably tax imports, together with China. The US overview of whether or not China has fulfilled its guarantees made in a “Part 1” commerce deal from Trump’s first administration is predicted to shut on April 1.
“We’re at a vital time for US-China relations,” Lee instructed Daines on the assembly, emphasizing the necessity to decide on a dialogue round a dialogue.
“Each of us want to decide on dialogue over cooperation that’s useful to either side over battle, zero-sum competitors,” Lee mentioned.
Different Chinese language officers who attended the assembly between Daines and US executives included Minister Wang Wentic, Deputy Minister Ma Chaocus, and Chinese language state planner Director Zheng Shanjie.
Annie Vu, the newly arrived suspect from the US Embassy, additionally attended the assembly.
Daines met China’s deputy prime minister in Beijing on Saturday. He mentioned the necessity for China to cease the stream of fentanyl precursors and “expressed hope {that a} additional increased degree of session between the US and China will happen within the close to future,” in accordance with a put up revealed on social media platform X.
