US lawmakers hold rare talks with Chinese defence minister

A delegation of U.S. lawmakers met with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun on Monday in the first House of Representatives visit to Beijing in six years, with talks aimed at bolstering exchanges including military-to-military communication.

The bipartisan delegation was led by Democratic U.S. Representative Adam Smith, the current top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee that oversees the U.S. Defense Department and armed forces.

“We are the first delegation from the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and we feel strongly that there should be more frequent visits and more robust conversation,” Smith told Dong.

“We want to open up the lines of communication. And in particular around military matters,” Smith said, according to a pool report organised by the U.S. embassy in Beijing.

Dong said the visit marked a “good” phase in efforts to strengthen China-U.S. communications.

Earlier this month, Dong held his first formal call with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who stressed that the United States does not seek conflict with China.