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

The United States and China are talking past each other on key issues, said a U.S. lawmaker leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to Beijing on Tuesday.

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The visit, led by Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, is the first from the House of Representatives to China since 2019, and comes as tensions have risen between the two countries over trade, technology and opposing views on global conflicts.

The aim of the trip, Smith said, is to increase dialogue between the two sides.

“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 said Tuesday.

The U.S. delegation said they hoped China would take meaningful action to reduce the inflow of fentanyl into the U.S. and they expressed concern over China’s restrictions on the global supply of rare earths, according to a readout from the House Armed Services Committee on Monday.