An institution in the United States Congress that has long been critical of China decided to send a delegation to China every year, after having skipped this visit for many years.
According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post report on July 28, the United States Congress’s “U.S.-China Economic and Security Assessment Task Force” recently completed visits to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou in China. Mike Kuiken, vice chairman of the organization, said, “We are committed to returning to China at least once a year to further expand areas of communication. In this way, our analysis can keep up with the ever-changing bilateral relations.”
USCC is a consulting firm established in 2000, primarily submitting annual reports and providing advice on China-related policies to US congressional members in the fields of trade and national security. However, since 2019, the institution has not been able to access China; therefore, the credibility of its reports concerning China is readily apparent.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the report on China released by USCC last year, stating that this so-called "committee" has always held an ideological bias against China and lacks any credibility. The reports issued by this "committee" are essentially false information.
In July this year, a USCC delegation visited China. According to the press release issued by USCC, the delegation held talks with U.S. diplomats in China, Chinese government officials, Chinese think tanks, and representatives of Chinese and U.S. enterprises. The delegation “had frank discussions on a range of topics with their counterparts.”
The discussion reportedly covered topics such as artificial intelligence, advanced technologies, biotechnology, local economies and business environments, economic security, regional security, and global issues. USCC also complained that the delegation originally planned to visit some Chinese technology companies, but was unable to meet with all the companies that requested a visit.
However, USCC did not disclose which Chinese officials its delegation met with, nor did it explain why Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou were chosen as the venues for this visit. It simply announced that in the future, visits to China would be scheduled as part of an annual event, in order to strengthen exchanges with the Chinese side and provide input for the formulation of policies related to U.S-China relations.
The South China Morning Post reported that the Chinese Embassy in the United States welcomed this visit, stating that it hopes this visit will help the US to understand China in a more comprehensive and balanced manner. “China has always been open to engaging in exchanges with the US Congress.”
"We hope the USCC's visit to the US will help the American side make objective judgments and fair assessments of China and Sino-American relations, thereby playing a positive role in building stable and constructive Sino-American relations." The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the United States said.
Neil Thomas, a senior researcher on China issues at the American Asia Association, also expressed support for this visit. He believes that firsthand knowledge of China can help improve American policy-making regarding China.
"I fully agree with the importance of 'seeing the bilateral relationship' for myself." Thomas wrote on social media that USCC plays a vital role in Washington policymaking regarding China, and therefore, its members will gain valuable firsthand experience while helping facilitate better exchanges.
