U.S. Congressional Delegation to Visit China Amid Mounting Tensions
The American and Chinese flags. Source: Medium.com
As America finds itself in an increasingly strained relationship with China, it was announced on September 9th that the bipartisan Congressional Delegation (CODEL) to China from the U.S. House of Representatives would visit the country for the first time since 2019. The visit will be spearheaded by Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), of the House Armed Services Committee.
The date of the visit has yet to be publicly shared, but the announcement comes at a critical time in U.S.-China relations. The CODEL comes amid rising economic tensions due to the Trump Administration’s tariffs, the struggle over the ownership of TikTok, and the seemingly constant race between the two powers to gain a technological advantage. Since 2019, plans have been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the refocusing of American diplomatic priorities to strengthen relationships with U.S. allies in East Asia, such as Japan and Taiwan, under the Biden Administration.
The U.S. and China have been ideologically opposed since the Cold War, but the divide has accelerated in the last ten years due to differences in political systems and competing military and technology aspirations. Exacerbated by the Trump administration’s foreign policy, each country remains locked in a struggle for power and hegemony in the economic, social, and technological spheres.
President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, introduced on April 2nd, 2025, placed a 34% tariff on Chinese goods, which inflamed economic tension and prompted an equal retaliatory tariff from China two days later. Though the tariffs have since been paused, they will resume on November 10.
Regarding the ownership of TikTok, which has been a point of contention because the U.S. government classified the app as a national security threat, the two countries have reportedly “reached a deal over TikTok that would mark a shift in ownership for the wildly popular video app and avoid its nationwide ban”, as reported by the Washington Post. The details and execution of the deal could be a topic of discussion during the visit.
American lawmakers will arrive on the heels of a major military parade held by President Xi Jinping of China last month in the culturally complicated Tiananmen Square, for which President Putin of Russia and President Kim Jong Un of North Korea were present. The massive parade involved a display of new weaponry from the Chinese military and prompted President Trump to post on the platform TruthSocial that the three leaders met to “conspire against The United States of America.”
Though Rep. Smith’s office has not confirmed any specifics about what the delegation will discuss with Chinese leaders, these social and economic issues will surely be top of mind for the American lawmakers during the visits. More priorities for the CODEL could include the treatment of Taiwan and the Chinese accusation of American chipmakers violating anti-trust laws amid the bilateral technology race between the two countries.
For those arranging the visit, the first step to resolving the complex web of issues that dominate U.S.-China relations is communication. Rep. Smith simply stated that “I am deeply worried that, yes, China is a major rising power that we seem to be talking less and less to. We need to figure out a way to resolve our differences, and can’t do it by not talking to each other.” Rep. Smith, as well as others within Congress, hope that the CODEL will cool the temperature at a time of heightened polarization between the two powers. The countries need to capitalize on this visit to clarify agreements about AI, security, and Taiwan.