Beijing, China (EFE).-
Chinese President Xi Jinping met Monday in Beijing with the first delegation of United States senators to visit China in four years.
Before their meeting with Xi, the senators held talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as reported by the local press.
They also met with government officials and business representatives after landing in the eastern city.
The bipartisan delegation, consisting of three Democrats and three Republicans, is led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and and co-led by Republican Mike Crapo, begins its journey in the eastern city.
The US senators arrived in Shanghai on Saturday.
The visit is part of a series of diplomatic trips to China by senior US officials aimed at mitigating the worsening relationship between the two superpowers.
Notable figures who have visited China recently include Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and US Special Envoy for Climate Change John Kerry.
Xi’s meeting with the senatorial delegation indicates that the Chinese president may attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled for November in San Francisco.
US President Joe Biden said on Friday that there was a possibility of a meeting with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the summit.
The relationship between Beijing and Washington has deteriorated in recent years, primarily due to trade and technology disputes, the imposition of sanctions, tensions over Taiwan, and China’s ambiguous stance on the conflict in Ukraine, where it has refrained from unequivocally condemning the Russian invasion. EFE
