US lawmakers to visit China in first trip since 2019: Report

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - A bipartisan group of US lawmakers from the House of Representatives will visit China later this month, marking the first congressional delegation to make the trip since 2019, according to a report.

NBC News reported that the trip, known as the congressional delegation (CODEL), is being organized by Rep. Adam Smith from the state of Washington, the former chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and its current top Democrat.

“I think it’s fairly significant. It’s part of wanting to try to open up a dialogue between the US and China. And I personally think it’s important that you do that,” Smith told NBC.

Smith reportedly said the visit will include Democratic and Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee, though Chairman Mike Rogers, a Republican from the state of Alabama, will not make the journey.

Asked if lawmakers would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, Smith said: “We’re asking. We don’t know yet.”

The visit will also include a stop in Cambodia, but not Taiwan, NBC reported. The delegation is expected to travel during a House recess the week of Sept. 22.

The visit comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing, and weeks after the Chinese, Russian and North Korean leaders attended a massive military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.