Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer will lead a bipartisan group of six senators on a visit subsequent week to China, South Korea and Japan, with experiences they hope to fulfill Chinese language President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
The delegation will embrace Democrats Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Jon Ossoff of Georgia, in line with an announcement from Schumer’s workplace. Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, the rating Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, will probably be joined by Sens. Invoice Cassidy and John Kennedy, each Republicans of Louisiana.
The journey to China was scheduled with the purpose of “advancing U.S. financial and nationwide safety pursuits within the area,” the doc says, and also will embrace enterprise leaders from each international locations.
“Chief Schumer will give attention to the necessity for reciprocity in China for U.S. companies that can stage the taking part in discipline for American employees, in addition to on sustaining U.S. management in superior applied sciences for nationwide safety,” the doc says. It additionally lists fentanyl, human rights and China’s “position within the worldwide neighborhood” as matters.
The announcement doesn’t present dates for the journey – or particulars about South Korea and Japan legs – however says it’s going to happen throughout subsequent week’s Senate recess, which begins Friday and ends Oct. 16.
Xi assembly
A report by Bloomberg, citing nameless programs, mentioned the senators hope to meet with Xi whereas in China, and plan to debate a ban on the sale in China of merchandise made by U.S. chipmaker Micron, which was unveiled in June amid the continuing U.S.-China “chip struggle.”
Crapo’s workplace confirmed the deliberate journey to RFA however declined to remark additional on the itinerary. Schumer’s workplace didn’t reply to a request for remark. The Chinese language Embassy in Washington welcomed the journey but in addition declined to touch upon any Xi assembly.
“China welcomes individuals from all walks of life in the USA, together with members of the Congress, to go to China in order to have a greater understanding of China, promote exchanges between the 2 international locations, and inject extra constructive vitality into the China-U.S. relationship,” mentioned embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu.
Subsequent week’s journey comes amid an tried thaw within the relationship between China and the USA that’s now 4 months outdated.
Over that point, 4 members of President Joe Biden’s cupboard have visited Beijing, together with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Nonetheless, a senior member of China’s authorities is but to make the reverse journey to Washington.
