Montana Republican Senator Steve Daines, “carrying President Trump’s America First agenda”, held a meeting in the Great Hall of People with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in late March, as reported by AP News. The occasion marked the first visit by a US politician to China since Trump’s return to the White House and is an example of ongoing efforts at communication from both sides ignored by media in favour of overhyped images of politicians on both sides slamming the other.

Despite the warm greetings though, key issues such as Trump’s trade tariffs and the growing problem of illegal exports of Chinese fentanyl loomed over the meeting.

Daines, himself a former Guangzhou resident when he was employed by Proctor & Gamble over 30 years ago, said “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.”

VP Lifeng meanwhile continued by saying that “China firmly opposes the politicisation and weaponisation of economic and trade issues, and is willing to engage in candid dialogue with the US on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefits”, according to AP, citing official Chinese news agency Xinhua. Lifeng also believes that cooperation in the pursuit of success and prosperity, with regard to both nations’ common interests, would not only benefit the two sides but also the world.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had recently accused the US of “meeting good with evil” due to the 20% duties on Chinese goods. In response there was a retaliatory 15% tariff on US farm goods from China.

However, Wang also criticised accusations that China is doing too little to curb the export of opiates into the US, causing mass devastation and an entire fentanyl epidemic, by highlighting a report that documents all the Chinese government has done so far to stop the illegal trade.

The report goes on to detail numerous “high-level” meetings and exchanges between the US and China dating back to early 2024, and further notes that the Chinese Narcotics Control Bureau and the US Drug Enforcement Administration remain in frequent contact. It also stated that China “firmly opposes the US imposition of unlawful sanctions and unreasonable pressure on China on the pretext of responding to fentanyl-related issues.”

In a post on X, the US embassy in Beijing followed up by saying, “The Senator voiced President Trump's ongoing call for China to stop the flow of fentanyl precursors from China and expressed hope that further high level talks between the United States and China will take place in the near future.”