BEIJING: US Senator Steve Daines, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Saturday (Mar 22) with warm exchanges in front of journalists, even as tensions between their countries spiked over trade tariffs and the handling of the illegal trade in fentanyl.

Daines, the first member of Congress to visit Beijing since Trump took office in January, will meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday and the nation's No 2 official will give him an introduction to China's policies, according to He.

Daines, who previously worked for American consumer goods company Procter & Gamble in south China's economic hub of Guangzhou, said this trip marked his sixth visit to China and he had met Li Qiang in 2018 when he served as the party secretary of Shanghai.

He said this visit comes at a time when there are some important issues to discuss between China and the US

“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,” he said.

Ahead of the trip that began on Thursday, his office said he is coordinating closely with the White House and will be “carrying President Trump’s America First agenda”. Daines served as a go-between during the first Trump administration when tariffs were also a major issue.

Daines, a senator for Montana, said on X earlier this week that he would be talking with Chinese officials about curbing the production and distribution of fentanyl and “the need to reduce the trade deficit and ensure fair ma...