US senator and Trump supporter Daines meets China's vice premier in Beijing

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Senator Steve Daines, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng with warm exchanges in front of journalists on Saturday even as tensions between their countries spiked over trade tariffs and the handling of the illegal trade in fentanyl.

Daines, the first member of Congress to visit Beijing since Trump took office in January, will meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday and the nation's No. 2 official will give him an introduction to China's policies, according to He.

Daines, who previously worked for American consumer goods company Procter & Gamble in south China's economic hub of Guangzhou, said this trip marked his sixth visit to China. He had met Li in 2018, when he served as the Communist Party secretary of Shanghai.

He said this visit comes at a time when there are some important issues to discuss between China and the U.S.

“I’ve always believed in having constructive dialogue and that has been the nature of all my visits to China over the course of many years,” he said.

The U.S. Embassy in China posted on X later Saturday that Daines voiced Trump's ongoing call for Beijing to stop the flow of fentanyl precursors from China. Daines also expressed hopes that further high-level talks between the two countries will take place in the near future.

Vice Premier He said that China firmly opposes the politicization and weaponization of economic and trade issues, and is willing to engage in candid dialogue with the U.S. on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefits, official news agency Xinhua reported. He said the two countries have many common interests and they can become partners and friends to achieve mutual success.

Ahead of the trip that began on Thursday, Daines' office said he is coordinating closely with the White House and will be “carrying President Trump’s America First agenda.” Daines served as a go-between during the first Trump administration when tariffs were also a major issue.

Daines, a senator for Montana, said on X earlier this week that he would be talking with Chinese officials about curbing the production and distribution of fentanyl and “the need to reduce the trade deficit and ensure fair market access for our Montana farmers, ranchers and producers.”

Just months into Trump's second term, tensions between the world’s two largest economies have risen after the U.S. imposed 20% duties on Chinese goods and drew retaliatory tariffs of 15% on U.S. farm goods from China. Additionally, the U.S. accuses China of doing too little to stop the export of precursor materials for fentanyl, a highly potent opiate blamed for tens of thousands of deaths in the U.S.

In response, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier this month accused Washington of “meeting good with evil” and said China will continue to retaliate for the United States’ “arbitrary tariffs."

Beijing also responded with a report detailing its efforts to control the illegal trade in fentanyl, specifically the ingredients for the opioid that are made in China.

The report said that China and the U.S. have held multiple high-level meetings since early last year to promote cooperation, and that its Narcotics Control Bureau holds regular exchanges with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

China is committed to cooperation, the report said, “but firmly opposes the U.S. imposition of unlawful sanctions and unreasonable pressure on China on the pretext of responding to fentanyl-related issues.”

Daines arrived in Beijing on Thursday and met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu. His trip to the Chinese capital followed a visit to Vietnam where he met top leaders.