BEIJING (AP) — The United States wants to improve military-to-military ties with China, a U.S. lawmaker leading a bipartisan congressional delegation said Monday in a meeting with China’s defense minister in Beijing.

The visit is the first from the House of Representatives to China since 2019, and comes as tensions have risen between the two countries over trade, technology and opposing views on global conflicts. A group of U.S. senators visited Beijing in 2023.

The current delegation is led by Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. The group met with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and separately, with Vice Premier He Lifeng, after holding talks with Premier Li Qiang on Sunday.

“We want to open up better the lines of communication between our two countri

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