2019 Congressional Members DelegationMarch 16, 2019 to March 24, 2019
Hong Kong, Hangzhou, and Beijing, ChinaIn March 2019, the National Committee escorted its eighth congressional delegation to China, traveling to Hong Kong, Hangzhou, and Beijing. The group was led by the two current co-chairs of the USCWG, Congressmen
Rick Larsen (D-WA-2) and
Darin LaHood (R-IL-18), joined by Congresswoman
Julia Brownley (D-CA-26) and Congressmen
Bill Flores (R-TX-17),
Greg Gianforte (R-MT), and
Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA-14). National Committee President
Stephen Orlins and
Matt Ferchen (a fellow in NCUSCR’s
Public Intellectuals Program) escorted the delegation. Meetings focused on issues of trade, agriculture, tech and intellectual property, healthcare (including fentanyl and the opioid crisis), and the denuclearization of North Korea. The meetings in Hong Kong included many political and judicial leaders, such as Chief Executive
Carrie Lam and Secretary of Justice
Teresa Cheng. In Hangzhou, the delegation met with Municipal Party Secretary
Zhou Jiangyong and Provincial Party Secretary
Che Jun. The group met with Vice President
Wang Qishan in Beijing, along with U.S. Ambassador to China
Terry Branstad, the National People’s Congress Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as Standing Committee Chairman
Li Zhanshu and Vice Chairman
Wang Chen. The delegation also met with American and Chinese corporations, including Ford Motor Company and Alibaba, as well as local NGOs such as the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs.
2017 Congressional Members DelegationSeptember 15, 2017 to September 24, 2017
Beijing, Tianjin, Jinan, and Qufu, ChinaIn September 2017, the National Committee escorted a seventh group to Beijing, Tianjin, Jinan, and Qufu. The delegation was led by the two current co-chairs of the USCWG, Congressmen
Rick Larsen (D-WA-2) and
Darin LaHood (R-IL-18), joined by Congressmen
Gregorio Sablan (D-NMI),
Sean Maloney (D-NY-18),
David Young (R-IA-3), and
Roger Marshall (R-KS-1). Meetings focused on issues of agriculture, aviation, and environmental protection; the situation surrounding North Korea was also a frequent topic of discussion. The delegation met with Chinese Vice Premier
Wang Yang in Zhongnanhai, Chair Madame
Fu Ying of the National People’s Congress, vice ministers of various ministries including Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Environmental Protection, the Central Military Commission, foreign and local NGOs, American and Chinese businessmen, provincial and municipals officials from Shandong, among others.
2014 Congressional Members DelegationMarch 15, 2014 to March 23, 2014In March 2014, we sent four members of Congress — the two co-chairs of the U.S.-China Working Group (USCWG), Congressmen
Rick Larsen (D-WA) and
Charles Boustany (R-LA), along with Congressmen
Kenny Marchant (R-TX) and
Mike Quigley (D-IL) — on a weeklong trip to Beijing, Xi’an, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. The delegation was escorted by NCUSCR President
Stephen Orlins, Fordham Law Professor
Carl Minzner (a fellow in NCUSCR’s
Public Intellectuals Program), and
Terra Sabag and
Florie Knauf, senior Hill staffers working in the offices of the USCWG co-chairs. The delegation focused its attention on the economic reforms outlined in the Third Plenum, the U.S.-China military/security relationship, and the current environment for U.S. businesses operating in China.
2013 Congressional Members DelegationJanuary 24, 2013 to January 31, 2013
Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong, ChinaIn January 2013, the National Committee took a bipartisan delegation of five Members of Congress to Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong for meetings with senior Chinese policy makers and American diplomats, journalists, and business leaders to better understand China’s leadership, economic reforms, regional security issues, and domestic challenges, and to learn more about trade, U.S. businesses in China, and Hong Kong’s relations with the United States and with China. The delegation had discussions with a range of senior officials including Vice Premier
Wang Qishan, Foreign Minister
Yang Jiechi, Hong Kong Chief Executive
C.Y. Leung, and a senior People’s Liberation Army official; were briefed by U.S. Ambassador
Gary Locke; visited with American Chamber of Commerce and US-China Business Council corporate members; met several Beijing-based journalists from major U.S. news outlets; and met with a range of interlocutors from the business, academic, NGO, and policy sectors. The delegation, led by Congressman
Rick Larsen (D-WA), co-founder and co-chair of the U.S.-China Working Group, included Congressmen
Jim Costa (D-CA),
Leonard Lance (R-NJ),
Billy Long (R-MO), and
Mike Turner (R-OH). National Committee President
Stephen Orlins accompanied the group with
Mary Gallagher, University of Michigan professor of political science and a fellow in NCUSCR’s
Public Intellectuals Program, who served as scholar-escort.
2011 Congressional Members DelegationApril 23, 2011 to May 1, 2011
Beijing, Qingdao, Chengdu, and Shanghai, ChinaFive members of the bipartisan congressional U.S.-China Working Group (USCWG) traveled to China in April 2011 for the fourth such trip under National Committee auspices. The delegation, led by USCWG Co-chairmen
Charles Boustany, Jr. (R-LA) and
Rick Larsen (D-WA), visited Beijing, Qingdao, Chengdu, and Shanghai, with a focus on assessing and advancing the U.S.-China military-to-military relationship. Accompanied by National Committee President
Stephen Orlins, the group also included Congressmen
Mike Coffman (R-CO),
Hank Johnson (D-GA), and
Erik Paulsen (R-MN). The congressmen met with several senior leaders, including Minister
Li Yuanchao of the CPC Organization Department, Vice Premier
Wang Qishan, State Councilor
Dai Bingguo, and PLA General
Chen Bingde, and toured a Song-class submarine in Qingdao – the first group of civilians authorized to do so. In Chengdu, the congressmen engaged with graduate students from Sichuan University at a roundtable discussion on topics ranging from education to the rule of law.
2009 Congressional Members DelegationMay 23, 2009 to May 31, 2009
Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Beijing, ChinaThe third trip to China that the National Committee has conducted for the bipartisan congressional U.S.-China Working Group (USCWG) focused on the effects of the financial and economic crisis on China’s economy, issues of concern to American companies in China, and Sino-American relations. As the mission of the USCWG is to educate members of Congress about the U.S.-China relationship, these member’s trips play an important part in encouraging American policies that are based on informed knowledge of China.
The delegation included USCWG Co-chairs
Mark Kirk (R-IL) and
Rick Larsen (D-WA) and their staff directors; National Committee President
Stephen Orlins; and
Public Intellectuals Program Fellow
Scott Kennedy, an associate professor of political science at Indiana University and director of the Research Center for Chinese Politics and Business. The eight-day itinerary included Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Beijing.
In Beijing, the delegation met with several senior officials, including Vice Premier
Wang Qishan, Minister of Commerce
Chen Deming;
Gao Xiqing, president of the China Investment Corporation; the head of the People’s Bank of China,
Zhou Xiaochuan (a participant on a National Committee exchange in the early 1980s); and chairman of the Banking Regularory Commission
Lu Mingkang.
Insightful discussions with local officials provided valuable perspectives on the local impacts of the global financial crisis, particularly Guangdong Provincial Party Secretary (and Politburo member)
Wang Yang and Guangzhou Mayor
Zhang Guangning; Minhang District Party Secretary
Sun Chao; the director general of Shanghai’s office for financial services
Fang Xinghai; Hong Kong Chief Executive
Donald Tsang; the head of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority,
Joseph Yam; and the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury in the Hong Kong Government
KC Chan. Former Chief Executive of Hong Kong
C. H. Tung hosted a dinner for the group.
In each city, the group met with CEOs and representatives of major American companies in China as well as U.S. Embassy and Consulate officials to gain a clear picture of on-the-ground realities. These meetings included discussions at the American Chambers of Commerce in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing. Supplementing these meetings were visits to industrial sites including a Motorola plant and John Deere factory in Tianjin, and the Mattel and Baxter operations in Guangdong. The schedule was rounded out by more informal occasions such as a gathering with journalists from leading American publications, lunch with Chinese vice presidents of the National Basketball Association and an informal match that pitted Congressman Larsen against Chinese national basketball star
Ma Jian.
For the congressmen and their staff, the trip reinforced the importance of the complex and dynamic ties between the two countries, particularly during the financial crisis, when mutual cooperation has the potential to promote positive developments worldwide.
2007 Congressional Members DelegationAugust 24, 2007 to September 1, 2007In 2007, the National Committee cooperated with the bipartisan congressional U.S.- China Working Group (USCWG), the National People’s Congress, and the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., on visits to China for USCWG congressional representatives and their staff. USCWG is a bipartisan initiative at the forefront of congressional dealings with issues of Sino-American relations, and focuses on educating Congress about China. The most recent visits focused on meetings with senior officials to discuss issues of importance to the representatives, their constituents and Congress, and have helped bring firsthand experience to policy debates at the national and local levels.
U.S.-China Working Group Co-chairs
Mark Kirk (R-IL) and
Rick Larsen (D-WA) traveled to China in August 2007, meeting with
Wu Bangguo, chairman of the National People’s Congress, and
Jiang Enzhu, chairman of the National People’s Congress Foreign Affairs Committee, among other senior officials. Talks covered issues of Sino-American trade, banking and financial reform, counter-terrorism measures, the environment, and food and product safety. Two highlights of the trip were the overview of China’s space program at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center with
Yang Liwei, China’s renowned first man in space, and several days in Xinjiang, including a visit to China’s western border with Kyrgyzstan, to learn firsthand about counter-terror, border security, and narcotics control initiatives
2006 Congressional Members DelegationJanuary 8, 2006 to January 17, 2006In January 2006, for first time in many years, the National Committee escorted the two co-chairs of the newly formed bipartisan congressional U.S.-China Working Group (USCWG),
Rick Larsen (D-WA) and
Mark Kirk (R-IL), and one of its members,
Tom Feeney (R-FL) to China. National Committee President
Stephen Orlins accompanied the delegation, which also included the two co-staff directors of the USCWG. With a focus on border and security issues, the congressmen discussed Sino-American cooperation in the Six-Party Talks, non-proliferation, trade frictions, protection of intellectual property rights, and cross-Strait relations, in meetings with senior representatives of the National People’s Congress (the host organization), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Defense, and other government agencies. They also traveled to Gansu Province for a rare tour of China’s space launch facility: the delegation was the first foreign group since 1989 to visit the manned-space launch center in Jiuquan, where the vice space administrator agreed to work with NASA in developing a joint space rescue capability. The group also traveled to Shanghai for meetings with municipal leaders and with several Chinese fellows in the National Committee’s
Young Leaders Forum, and to Hong Kong for briefings with legislators, justices, and other officials.